


One Word At A time

by Aramirandme81



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Family Feels, One Word Prompt Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2017-12-29 01:19:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 22,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/pseuds/Aramirandme81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A One Word Promt Work.<br/>Set in the Almighty Johnsons universe, not really part of the 'On The Hill' universe, but I might have had it in  my mind when I did some of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Line By Line

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [On Anders and Mitchell](https://archiveofourown.org/works/992876) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account). 



> What it said on the box.  
> And do feel free to give me more words, this is quite fun.

Shelf: Axl at fourteen stands on tip toes to reach the highest shelf, Anders at twenty-one still can’t.

 

Loneliness: Loneliness has nothing to do with how many people surround you, but the number of people that care Anders thinks and pushes through the crowd at the bar.

 

Safety: Colin is laughing like a maniac as the tremors tear through Auckland and all Anders can think about is the safety of his family and his fish.

 

Toothbrush: No matter how much he brushes, the toothbrush isn’t able to remove the feeling of an unwelcome tongue in his mouth. 

 

Tumble: Anders can feel the ground beneath his feet slowly crumbling, and he wonders: If he keeps standing here, will someone reach for him or will they let him tumble? 

 

Bonnet: The bonnet of Olaf’s car is the perfect spot for a spot of combined sun bathing and sleeping of a hangover.

 

Teddy-bear: “Mine.” Axl slurs drunkenly and tightens his hold. Anders sighs and resigns himself to the fact that he’s playing teddy-bear for the night.

 

Toilet roll: “We wanted to know if there was a certain amount of pieces to a roll or if it was just random.” Axl explains, making Mike groan even more at the sight before him.

 

Crayon: Sometimes Anders will do his signature in crayon just to hear Dawn go: “Anders!” In that exasperated tone of voice when she sees. 

 

Yuck: Ty should have been a chef, but when he serves Anders Sushi all he can think is ‘Yuck!’ 

 

Pantechnicon: Sometime Bragi will take the piss out of Anders and instead of modern word supply him with something truly confusing, like now when Anders finds himself saying: ‘pantechnicon’ instead of moving van.

 

Dragon: Colin smiles at Anders and offers him a deal, the Bragi part of him screams: dragon!

 

Ikea: Anders don’t know what possessed him to give in to Dawns pleas, shopping is bad enough but really: IKEA?

 

Lightsaber: Ty and Anders stare at the fluorescent tubes on Mike’s table for all of two seconds before they both grab one and start making lightsaber noises like a couple of kids.

 

Mime: Oddly enough Anders is the only one in the family not creeped out by mimes. 

 

Dynamite: Dad is like the first sticks of dynamite, supposedly stable yet you never know when it will suddenly explode in your face.

 

Hurt: Anders at two and a half doesn’t understand what is wrong, only that Mike is crying and in pain, so he does what he can to help: “Apple?” He asks and presents Mike with the apple he’d gotten for dessert.

 

Horn: He flees through the forest heart racing, and somewhere he swears he hears the horn crying view halloo, the fox has been spotted. 

 

Moon: The cloud cover lifts, the moon is full, and the Johnson boys throw back their heads as one and howl.

 

Quiet: Anders straddles a chair and looks at his fish, until he can feel their tranquil movements begin to quiet his inner voices. 

 

Leather pants: Yes he looks good in them, even Dawn gave him a wolf whistle, but by god they make his arse sweat! 

 

Garbage disposal unit: Val doesn’t understand the venom in Anders eyes as he sees her throw the goldfish into the unit, it was only a dead fish after all?

 

Toaster: Ty is the ‘chef’ in the family, but there is nothing that Axl can’t figure out how to cook on a simple toaster.

 

Lemon moon: “Okay so Denmark doesn’t completely suck.” Anders says and shoves another slice of spongy lemon cake into his mouth before Axl can eat it all. 

 

Printer ink: “Not one word.” Dawn says and Anders tries his best to choke his laughter at the sight of Dawn covered almost head to toe in printer ink.

 

Wheelbarrow: How many drunken brothers can you fit in wheelbarrow? The answer is all three as Mike finds out.

 

Grater: Anders doesn’t say a word when he enters Ty’s new place, just washes his hands picks up the grater and starts on the carrots. 

 

Tea trolley: Never have sex on a tea trolley, they roll away at the most inconvenient of times.

 

Apple: Zeb can’t help but snort whenever he thinks about Gaia wanting to get away from god business, and then she ends up choosing New York. 

 

Board game: Mike is a little put out that Anders would buy him a game as a housewarming present, but once they get going he realizes that being the one behind the cards in Jeopardy is just as fun as playing he’s really quite touched. 

 

Trust: Dawn is the only person Anders would ever trust with his heart, she’s also the person he would least wish to burden with it.

 

Phone: People thinks Anders has the newest phone because he has to be ‘hip’, Anders knows he has it because it has the best camera on the market. 

 

Discovery: Anders doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry when he discovers that he’s missed his own birthday because Axl wasn’t there to be excited for him at least a week in advance. 

 

Wish: Olaf have always been content with being Balder, but when he notices the first grey in Mike’s hair he can’t help but wish that some things were different.

 

Coward: “I’m not a coward Mike. I just have a very real and healthy respect for getting hurt.”

 

Cold: Ty places a cold hand on Anders’s burning brow making Anders sigh in relief.

 

Ocean: Watching Anders laugh and lose himself in the ocean, Olaf can’t help but think he should have been Ægir instead of Bragi.


	2. Line them up...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More one liners! (and maybe a few two-liners, but who's counting)

Scared: Johan doesn’t give a shit, that the police says that the man was mentally unstable and didn’t understand that what he’d tried to do was wrong, all he knows is that Anders who normally shies away from physical affection from adults is clinging to him and crying his little heart out.

 

Sick: The mere mention of illness makes Anders skin crawl, yet when Ty gets pneumonia no one can tear him from his bedside. 

 

Baby: Mike places baby Axl in Anders arms, and for the first time in as long as he can remember Anders is speechless. 

 

Dashboard: Anders can’t help smiling smugly when his feet are the only ones that can comfortably fit on the passenger side dashboard. 

 

Dashboard (2): Anders whimpers in pain and Ty curses and apologises from the backseat. Mike looks at the dashboard and presses his foot down even harder.

 

Box: It’s been almost a year with no news at all so Ty sighs and closes the last box of things Anders left behind the night Mike threw him out.

 

Post-it: Axl loves the skateboard, but it’s the simple yellow post-it with the: ‘Happy Birthday.’ but no sender that had been on the gift that he treasures most.

 

Pig: “Pig.” Gaia says as she sees Axl and Zeb lying asleep on the floor among a mess of empty pizza boxes and beer bottles.

 

Marmalade: Fancy foods and expensive wine is all well and good, but sinking his teeth into a slice of fresh white bread with a thick layer of marmalade feels like a guilty pleasure to Anders. 

 

Wireless: The irony of the fact that it was a woman making a living by selling wireless internet that first tied him up, never stops being funny to Anders.

 

Wishing: Wishing for his family won’t make them appear he knows, but sitting alone on Christmas he can’t quite seem to stop himself from doing so.

 

Cheating: Anders never hits on married women, but he never says no if they hit on him. They are the ones cheating, not him.

 

Cheating(2): Anders for all he likes the easy way, never cheated in school because that would only be cheating himself. 

 

Pride: Anders is sixteen the first time a woman leaves money on the bedside table before she leaves, Anders is mortified, but Axl need braces and Ty new cloths so he swallows his pride and makes another date with the woman.

 

Drunk: Ty is so angry and so drunk he doesn’t really know what he’s shouting, but when he sees the lonely tear escape from Anders eye, he wishes he knew so he could take it back.

 

Mistletoe: Every time Mikes hints at Anders having forced Val, Anders think about telling him how his dear sweet former wife nearly mauled Anders under the mistletoe more than once. 

 

Regret: The host of the chat show is asking his guest what is his greatest regret, Olaf is the only one close enough to catch Anders’ whispered: “Being born.”

 

Mist: The mist rolls in and lies thick upon the ground softening everything, Anders dangles his feet from the branch he’s sitting on and watches the sun rise in peace. 

 

Friendly: “They are really very friendly.” Mike remarks and the driver looks on in amazement as his dog team all jostles to get in close and be petted by Anders. 

 

Help: Anders looks at the child that has attached itself to his leg and then at a grinning Ty while his eyes are shouting ‘Help!’ as loud as they can. 

 

Feet: Michele is fascinated despite herself when she discovers Anders has smaller feet than her.

 

Temptation: Every so often Anders is tempted to pick up a harp or lyre, simply to see if he can play it.

 

Snow White: “Your brother is like snow white of marine life!” Zeb exclaims after they have spent the entire trip to the aquarium watching the animals follow Anders as he moves along the glass. 

 

Ball: “I’ll get it!” Anders shouts and like gigantic squirrel he climbs straight up the log of the un-climbable oak to get the ball from where it’s stuck in the crown. 

 

Tv: Two weeks after Axl’s twenty first’ he call Anders and ask if he can watch the game at his place tomorrow? Anders says yes and then has to hurry out and buy a Tv system. 

 

Labyrinth: He’ll deny it to his dying day, but Anders knows the songs to The Labyrinth by heart. 

 

Forgiveness: How can he possibly ask forgiveness for something he knows he’s not guilty of? 

 

New: Growing up only wearing hand me down’s is bad enough, especially when you even have to wear your younger brothers, so as soon as Anders is on his own and has a job, he wows to never buy second hand again.

 

Adult: “It says no adults allowed.” Olaf says and point to the sign on Anders door. Anders rolls his eyes and pull Olaf in by his hand. “Consider yourself a VIP then.” 

 

Model: “Let me guess, you can make me a model or a star?” The redhead beauty says as the smallish blond man sits down beside her. “No, but I can make you see stars while you scream in pleasure if that’s of any interest.” He answers and shrugs.

 

Favourite: Ty lost his al time favourite shirt years ago, when he sees it in Anders wash basket he can’t help the fond smile that appears on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me words!  
> Also I’m accepting challenges in the comment’s here.  
> And if anyone want to exchange Halloween challenges I’m game!


	3. Once more onto the breach

Okay: It’s only when Dawn places her hand on his shoulder and ask if he’s okay, that he is actually Okay.

 

Asparagus: “Because it helps the brains fight cognitive decline Axl, and after the amount of alcohol you and Zeb drank last weekend I’d say it’s sorely needed.” Gaia explains her choice to serve Asparagus in various forms four days straight.

 

Water: In private Anders mostly drinks water, it’s only in publicly he feels the need to hide behind alcohol.

 

Hot air balloon: Anders is very close to kissing Ty in sheer gratitude once they discover that Hod and Hot air balloons don’t mix. 

 

Homework: Some of Axl’s fondest childhood memories are of doing homework alongside his brothers.

 

Sleeping bag: The first time Olaf took Anders and Mike camping they shared a sleeping bag, now he can’t even get them to share a tent. 

 

Millennium bug: “Millennium bug?” Anders repeats and Axl nods nervously looking at Anders’ dead laptop. “Then how do you explain the crisps in the keyboard?”

 

Busted: The look on Mikes face when he realize that he’s busted, is, in Anders humble opinion, almost as good as catching him singing and dancing along to Grease is. 

 

Bright: Anders thinks it’s bitter irony that it’s a beautiful bright flash of lightning that makes Ty the god of all things Cold and Dark.

 

Colour: Anders at six doesn’t understand racism, after all al his fish get along and they are all the colours of the rainbow, so how could white and black be a problem?

 

Stripper: Ty get Anders to agree to get Axl a stripper for his birthday, Axl goes: ‘Hell yeah!” ‘Sam’ shows up, and hey that’s not short for Samantha, Axl goes: “Oh Hell no!”

 

Fishmonger: Anders has nightmares about ‘Ghost fish’ for weeks after mum took him to the fishmonger’s to buy tuna steaks. 

 

Pet Store: From the tender age of barely two Anders is a master of disappearing the minute they hit town, luckily he’s as easy to find as the pet store is. 

 

Cat: Dawn is fairly easygoing, but when she finds herself nearly adding cat food to her cart, she really feels like hitting someone, preferably Anders.

 

Birthday: Every year on her birthday there will be flowers and coffee on her desk along with something truly ridiculously nice yet inexpensive wrapped in plain brown paper, and every year Anders will ask who it’s from and pretend he doesn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on people, give me words! I need words to do this, it’s no fun finding them on your own. And I need the ‘nice quiet and simple’-fic to get the others moving.   
> Oh and yes Elenhin the ghost fish was for you. ;-) 
> 
> as always: hope you all enjoy


	4. Word Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of these might be a bit long, some may be a little different, most will stand alone but some will be their own little series like the last three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mixed the words prompts some of you so kindly provided so I didn’t end up doing only on or two person’s prompts but a little from (hopefully) everyone. It ended up being quite a lot of prompts so I’m splitting them into two chapters, even if most of them is here the rest will follow at a later date. And yes I’d still be happy to get more words.

Dawn: Never was anyone so inappropriately named, Anders thinks as he watches the zombie that is his assistant stagger into the office at the crack of dawn.

 

Watch: How is he to explain to Dawn that the reason he doesn’t wear her gift anymore is because it stopped working when his brother killed him? 

 

Knife: “We’ll both have the soup.” Dawn says and nearly begins to cry at the raw look of gratefulness Anders sends her as the waiter takes the cutlery away. 

 

Fork: They give themselves away by eating lunch with only the one fork between them. 

 

Spoon: She knows ‘it’ is real when instead of staying away when she get sick, Anders not only makes her soup, he patiently spoon feeds her every last drop. 

 

Makeup: She’s the one who has a doctors degree and wears makeup, yet whenever she gets cuts and bruises Anders knows just as well as her how to treat it and even better how to cover it up. 

 

Gentleman: Chivalrous: Anders treats everyone the same no matter their sex. Courteous: He’s honest to a fault and refuses to hide behind sugarcoated words. Honorable: Others may not understand his honor code, but he follows it even if it means he will suffer for it. 

 

Duel: Eyes hard and shoulders squared the two combatants face each other’s on the field of honor. Anders lifts the first glass in a mock salute and the duel is begun. 

 

Dekko: Anders is grinning like a loon at Ty. “Did you seriously just say ‘Dekko yonder?’” He asks and Ty can only groan and mumble something about Dawn being on a Jane Austin kick. 

 

Cricket: The silence is deafening, and part of Anders can hear the mental crickets singing, but the word is still just hanging there in the air around them loud, clear and no way to take it back: Love.

 

Lorry: “Olaf got the lorry didn’t he?”  
“So?”  
“The seat is broken and stuck in one position.”  
“Olaf could drive it.”  
“Yes well I’m not Olaf am I?”  
“No but… Oh.”  
“Yeah oh.”  
“You can’t reach the pedals?”  
“I can’t reach the pedals.” 

 

Paint: Axl mistakenly placing the paint bucket over the door instead of the one with water made the joke even more hilarious for all of a few minutes until it was clear that Anders was not just angry but in fact violently allergic to something in the paint. 

 

Mermaid: Olaf paddles his board over to Anders’s and waits until the boy extracts his head from beneath the surface. “What are you doing Anders?” And Olaf has to smile when the eight year old looks at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and says: “Looking for mermaids.” 

 

Childish: Dawns two little cousins look on in amazement as Anders merely leans back in his chair and crosses his arms.  
“But, but you’re an adult?”  
“So? I’m still not playing unless I get to be the car.”

 

Hot: It’s not unusual for Anders to sit or even lie on the floor when working, moving around as the hours tick away. When Dawn realizes that he is actually following the movement of the sun’s rays and hot spot, she nearly doubles over laughing. 

 

Disney: “The Sword in the Stone.” That had not been what Michele had thought would be Anders’ words at discovering her secret collection of all the Disney Classics on DVD. “What?” “That’s my favourite, which one is yours?”

Dwarves: When she hears her phone going: Hi Ho Hi Ho , Its Off To Work We Go!! Michele can’t help but laugh in surprise, seems Anders has a much more wicked sense of self-irony than anyone of his family knows.

 

Writer: “How?” Ty asks and looks at the book in his hands. “Let’s just say I know the writer, now go apologise for making her worry on her birthday.” Anders says and sends a grateful Ty on his way. 

 

Biscuits: How Axl can take a bite of a biscuit and strew crumbs over the entire house in seconds, and Anders can shove two whole biscuits into his in one go and keep on talking without spilling as much as a single crumb is one of the World’s great mysteries to Olaf.

 

Pillows: Anders’ pillows are imported and expensive, yet he sleeps much better with his head on Dawns shoulder or thigh. 

 

Word: Anders’ first word was Mike which made Mike smile. It was also his last which made Mike cry.

 

Shoes: “They are shoes not matryoshka’s!” Anders says and pull first Mike’s shoe out of Olaf’s, the his own out of Mike’s, while he glares at a drunken and giggly Axl and Zeb.

 

Subterfuge: “There are too many, no way we can break in there. What now?” Olaf asks Mike, but it’s Michele and Anders that answer with a shared look and matching smiles of sugary malice: “Subterfuge.” 

 

My precioussssss: “Did you miss me? I missed you my darling, I’ll never leave you again, my own, my love, my preciousssssss.!” Anders croons and cradles his I-phone, which he’d forgotten at the office the day before to his cheek. 

 

Spitfire: “And if you ever EVER thing about putting him in harm’s way again, Ullr or not ‘I’ will hunt ‘you’ down!” Dawn growls and turns to go Ty’s arm around her waist then she stops. “That goes for both of them.” She says as she reaches out, takes Anders hand in hers and tucks him along. 

 

Tea towel: He shouldn’t, he knows he shouldn’t, he’ll get in trouble, he has more self-control that that, he can resist temptation, he can… *swoosh* - *Crack!* “Ouch! Anders you are a dead man!!” 

 

Darling: “Darling’, there are some people you simply must meet. You will forgive me for stealing her away I trust?” Anders says smiling charmingly at the very boring people as he whisks her of without waiting for their reply. 

 

Please: The most humble word in the English language is the most powerful and rare in Anders’. “Please.” 

 

Ice: Finding Dawn and Anders curled up like a pair of kittens in a nest of paperwork and sleeping soundly melts even Hod’s heart. 

 

Camera: The others think it strange that someone as vain of his image as Anders is camera shy, but it’s not the camera but what his image might reveal once it’s frozen and unable to move that makes Anders shy away. 

 

Stars: People in movies and on tv always speak about how small and insignificant they feel while gazing at the starts, Anders never feels as big and important as when the stars wink at him as if to share their secrets.

 

Kiss: They call him a coward, but he’s actually the bravest of them all, because every time he kisses someone he’s rendering himself defenceless and open for attack. 

 

Artist: Ty loves carving his ice sculptures, but it’s not until Anders of all people calls him an artist without a single mocking note in his voice that he’s brave enough to exhibit his work. 

 

Bike: “You got from Ty’s place to here in less than ten minutes?” Stacey asks in amazement. Anders can only nod and pant, glad he made it in time to stop the god hunter from getting to Stacey and Olaf (who should damn well keep their mobiles charged). “Do you want a job?” Stacey asks. 

 

Underestimated: “It seems I might have underestimated you.” Colin mange to get out feeling the life leaving his body as Anders pulls the sword from his chest with a soft wet sound and a grim look upon his fair face.

 

Vocabulary: “Thesaurus, it means treasury. A treasury of words, because the ancients knew that words were power and so the greater your vocabulary the richer you were.” Anders explains.  
“That would make you the Scrooge McDuck of words right?” Zeb asks and Anders laughingly agrees and raises his glass in salute.

 

Daisy: “For you dear.” Ingrid says, places the crown of daisy’s on his head and kisses his cheek. “Happy solstices.” 

 

Second: “Worst sport of game in which to place second?” Axl reads the card. Anders is quick to answer. “Boxing. Not only did you fail to win you also got the shit beaten out of you.”

 

Aquarium: There were other, bigger, better, more affordable flats to be had, but once he saw the inbuilt aquarium and the seller jokingly offered to make the fish part of the deal he knew this one was his.

 

Congested: He just wants to get away from it all is that really too much to ask? Apparently the universe thinks so because every road leading out of Auckland is currently congested. 

 

Empty: “He’ll be back.” Mike says. “No he won’t.” Olaf says and points to the empty fish tank.


	5. Not ONE word!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehrr yes some of them is a bit longish. Pleas bear with me and forgive me.   
> Oh and feel free to give me more words, I only have a few left to play with as is.  
> And as always I hope you enjoy what I bring.

Photos: “Do you actually own a picture where none of you are sporting bruises, cuts or in plaster?” Ingrid asks as she goes through their old photo albums.  
Mike looks at the album she’s looking at. “Not from before we moved no. Try the red ones those are from when we moved to Auckland.”

 

Typing: “The second instalment in ‘The Hidden Truth’ series has hit the bookstores today, most of which have already sold out and critics are already calling it the mature follow up to Harry Potter and Twilight. And rumour has it a movie deal is being negotiated. Now the only question is: Can the author keep delivering?” The speaker on the tv said before Anders turned it off and turned back to his laptop. “If his brothers give him a few days of peace then he certainly plans to try.” He mumbles and starts typing. 

 

Yikes: “Yikes!” Anders yelps as Olaf pulls him down onto his lap. “Such a pretty girl.” Olaf, who is so far out of it it’s a miracle he’s able to get words out, slurs into Anders ear arms going round him and holding him in place “MIKE!!! TY!! You bastards don’t just stand there laughing, fucking HELP ME!!”

 

Plate: “I’ sorry!” Anders cries out and falls to his knees picking up the bigger pieces of the broken plate with a hurry that worries Olaf, but not nearly as much as the violent flinch and the whimper Anders lets out as Olaf reaches out for him. “I’m sorry.” Anders repeats eyes squeezed shut his whole body trembling. It’s the first time Olaf contemplates taking his grandchildren away from it all. 

 

Sledgehammer: Derek looks at the item he’s just unwrapped. “You bought me a hammer.”  
“No I bought you a sledgehammer. I know you have Mjølnir, but sometimes you just want to feel the weight of the head travel down a good long shaft when you swing it.” Anders says and grins.  
Derek lets out a belly laugh and clap the smaller god on the shoulder. “Not such a pussy after all. Come let us see how far we can toss this thing.” 

 

Shards: Anders has a collection of nearly microscopic scars surrounding one eye. He’d told Mike it was from a fight and got house arrest for a week. He never told him the fight was with Val nor how close some of the shards from the glass she’d smashed into his face had come to blinding him. 

 

Map: “What does the map say?” Anders asks Ty.  
“That we should be there already.” Ty answers and crumbles the map in irritation. 

 

Airplane: “I’m sorry Axl, I just can’t lift you like that anymore.” Anders says regret clear in his voice.

 

Screwdriver: “Why do you think they call it a screwdriver?” Ty asks and looks at his glass.  
“Because if you drink enough of them you will be driven to try to screw absolutely anyone.” Anders says and point to where a very plastered Axl is hitting on a dog of a woman twice his own age.

 

Clumsy: “Anders I know I’m only your employee and maybe it’s none of my business. But there is no way you have suddenly turned that clumsy, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to just please don’t treat me like I’m stupid.” 

 

Lost: “Get lost.” That had been his last words to his brother. And now not even Ullr could find him again. 

 

Owie: Axl’s howl of pain can be heard through the kitchen window making Val sigh and put down the dish she is washing preparing to offer comfort. But she needed have bothered, Axl flies in through the back door straight past her and into the waiting arms of his second oldest brother who’s dressed in only a robe hair still sporting shampoo. “Owie!” Axl says and shows Anders his elbow. “Owie.” Anders sagely agrees and caries Axl with him down the hall.

 

Glasses: It’s really not fair that the exact same pair of glasses that make her look like a strict school mistress, makes Anders look like an enticement to sin. 

 

Nap: “No Dawn the deal was that you were only allowed back to work if you took it easy and got enough rest. You look like you haven’t slept all week so naptime.”   
“But…”  
“No buts, even if it is rather lovely. Couch, now.”  
Dawn grumbles but does lie down, and have to smile when Anders comes over and covers her with a blanket before he goes back to typing away at his desk.

 

Typical: It’s Monday, it’s raining and it’s bitterly cold. But unlike a typical Monday Dawn only turns over and snuggles up to the warm body beside her with a contend sigh.

 

Blue: She’s never seen a blue quite like the blue of Anders’ eyes when he smiles and his souls seems to shine through them. 

 

Frozen: She is frozen, a scream caught in her throat, and she can only watch as the gun is pressed more firmly against his head.

 

Random: He’s walking down a random street no destination in mind when he hears the pitiful meowing coming from a box. Looking in he sees a lonely little ball of fur and before he really knows it he’s talking to the thing and has picked it up. “Dawn will be so pleased that I found you.”

 

Missing: “Go ahead and dig in.” Val says and starts piling potatoes on Axl’s plate.  
“But…” Axl starts only to receive a warning look from Ty.   
It’s too late and Val’s mouth tightens as she hands Axl his plate.  
Mike sighs as quietly as he can, and tries his best to not notice what Axl was about to point out and Ty also knows. As much as they pretend otherwise the empty chair at the end of the table screams that someone is missing. 

 

Emetophobia: “Everyone else just threw up and was fine, but you? Oh no you have to be Eme…emmy… you have to be afraid of barfing and have to be rushed to the hospital to have your stomach pumped yet still end up with a severe case of poisoning.” Mike sighs and looks at Anders who’s pale face reflects pain even in sleep. “Just be okay Anders and I’ll forgive you for being weird.”


	6. Halloween edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Little Collection in honour of Halloween.

Vampire: Of all the places to meet an actual Vampire … Well Bristol had never even made the list.

 

Werewolf: After the fifth ‘wet dog’ comment, Mike felt he had to fess up. 

 

Witch: She might be a minor goddess, but she’s a major witch.

 

Zombie: “Mike no! He’s not been bitten he’s just doped out of his mind!”

 

Ghost: She wants to hug him so badly but now she’ll never be able to again.

 

Wizard: “Colin? The cauldron child of Gilderoy Lockhart and Bellatrix Lestrange.”

 

Mummies: “And it’s not even Halloween.” Anders coughs as Dawn tightens the last bandages.

 

Banshee: “Well,” Anders says as Dawn finish screaming at him, “I know what you should go as next Halloween.”

 

Elf: Everyone keeps making dwarf jokes, so to spite them he shows up as an Elf.

 

Skeleton: “Anders I know you don’t feel like eating, but unless you start to you won’t need a costume come Halloween.”

 

Poltergeist: It’s never been wise to mess with Colin's stuff, it’s even worse now that he’s dead.

 

Ringwraith: “It was Anders’ idea.” Ty admits and lets a little cold surround him and his freaking awesome costume. 

 

Valkyrie: “Come on stud, let me take you to Valhalla.” She says and winks, knowing he’ll follow.


	7. Words, words everywhere and not a thing to say!

Oups: “Oups?” Ty says as he literally causes Anders laptop to freeze and Anders to let out a noise like a wounded Nazgul.

 

Pencil case: “I can’t believe you still have this thing.” Axl says and smiles as he picks up the pencil case he picked out for Anders back when Axl himself had been five and really into that cartoon show. 

 

Rubber band: “Anger management?” The bartender asks and points to the rubber band at Anders wrist.  
“No, flirt management.” Anders answers and rapidly flicks it twice when two hot looking women walks up to the bar.

 

Band aid: “Hey all you said was: buy band aids. If you wanted something specific you should have said so.” Anders smirks and Mike himself can’t stop the smile that fights its way onto his face as he looks at the packet of ‘Marvel Superheroes’ themed band aids Anders just handed him.

 

Apple pie: Mike orders them to get their act together, Olaf says they should do something just the two of them, and Ty suggests something where they can see a result when done. So, Anders and Axl find them self in Anders kitchen baking apple pie, the symbolism of it lost on neither of them. 

 

Headache: “Wha..?” Is all Ty get’s out as Anders walks up grabs both Ty’s hands and place them on his face with a sigh of relief as the cold seeps into his skin. 

 

Kangaroo: “Bunny!” Three year old Axl squeals and runs to the rail around the enclosure. “Big bunny’s!” “Actually Axl those are kangaroo’s.” Anders says and begins to explain the differences between the two.

 

Handkerchief: “Dawn you…” It’s only when she reaches out to take the handkerchief from him that they realize just how they are posed: Him still halfway kneeling after having picked up the handkerchief and now presenting her with it. “My lady.” Anders says and holds it up with a smile that is halfway between amused and shy.

 

Dyslexia: “It’s nothing to be ashamed of Axl, I have it as well. I can teach you a few tricks okay?” Anders comforts his distraught little brother. 

 

Sglurgshling: “Sglurgshling.” Zeb says.  
“Gesundheit.” Axl answers.  
“No man that’s what it’s called when the slugs move around eating alga.” Zeb says and points to the little colourful snail making its way across the glass of Anders fish tank.  
“You know about fish?” Anders asks from halfway inside his fridge.  
“Not as much as I’d like to. My gran had some she let me feed sometimes. I was thinking about getting some though.”  
“Yeah?” Anders asks and hand Zeb a beer.  
“Hey, where is my beer?” Axl asks.  
“Get you own.” Anders dismisses Axl and turns back to Zeb. “So what kind of fish were you thinking of?”

 

Migraine: “How bad is it?” Ty whispers to Dawn as he enters J:pr.  
“He took pills earlier but they don’t help, and now he can’t even move.” Dawn whisper back looking anxious and leads him to the couch where Anders is.  
“Hey buddy, it’s okay, it’s going to be okay.” Ty whispers as Anders whimpers and all but tries to merge with the coldness and darkness of Ty’s body that seems to be the only thing that’s capable of bringing him any relief from his migraines. It’s the only times Ty is truly grateful that he’s Hod. 

 

Radio: “Now officer, what I want you to do is go back to your car get on the radio and let the station know that it was just kids shooting of fireworks in the ally and they promise not to do it again. Can you do that for me?” 

 

Heart: “The bullet was actually lodged in the right ventricle chamber, yet the heart just kept pumping!” The surgeon shakes his head in amazement. “Your brother has the strongest heart I’ve ever seen.” 

 

Banjo: “He grandpa how come you have a banjo in your car?” Axl asks as he helps Olaf clean his reclaimed car.  
“Oh yeah, Banjo Barney himself taught me.”  
“Who?”  
“Kids.” Olaf mutters strum a few bars and lets his memory take him back.

 

Tape recorder: The thing is ancient, almost older that Ty, its once flaming red faded and dented, the stickers frayed and pale, dust in every possible crevice and the front piece that should hold the tape in place is missing… He should have thrown it out years ago. Instead he plucks it in, find the dusty box of tapes plucks one in remembering the piece of cardboard needed to make it stay in the machine push the play button and let’s himself drift to the story on the tape. 

 

Whiskey: It’s their drink, Loki and Bragi’s. It’s warm gold in the glass, smooth as honey on the tongue and leaves a sinful burning sensation as it glides down into the belly, warming you from the inside and once it hits the blood it makes you say and do things you didn’t know you wanted to until then. Persuasion, seduction and trickery in a bottle.

 

Red: He doesn’t understand where it’s a coming from, alt this … red. He lifts his hands they are red from the puddle they were resting in. He follow the slide of the liquid down his arm and watches as it drips onto his shirt which is already all red below his chest where red is slowly managing to crawl upwards. He should get up, call someone, it’s just... everything is so….Red.

 

Crisps: Axl shoves them into his face like the savage he is, bag never leaving his hands. Ty picks on or two from the bag, eats them one at a time offers everyone else some then goes in for more. Mike takes a handful and eats a couple at a time, lets people ask if they want some. Olaf likes his in a bowl offers everyone a handful then eats the rest as quickly as Axl. Anders serves them in a bowl, takes a handful and sorts them after size on a napkin before he eats them smallest to biggest, wiping his hands after every couple of bites.

 

Chapstick: “Oh shoot.” Stacey says as she discovers her chapstick has run dry, and the recycled air in airplanes always makes her lips crack.  
Anders looks at her pout for a few seconds then sighs and fishes out something from his pocket which he hands her with the words “Not one word.”  
Stacey looks at the Moisturizer Green Apple chapstick in wonder then smiles and applies it. 

 

Gold: Everyone laughs at him when Anders says he going to go look for gold instead when they start a game of football. When he comes back from the river later with several small nuggets and the words “Alluvial gold.” he’s the one who’s laughing.

 

Noodles: *splat* “Is it when they stick or when they fall they are ready?” *flop* Splat*  
“Shouldn’t you have cheeked up on that before you tossed them? Also, I believe it’s customary to throw them at the wall and not at the ceiling.” 

 

Coin: “Heads you go back to the car to get more beer. Tails I don’t.” Anders says and Olaf only nods drunkenly as Anders flips the coin.

 

Frying pan: *SLAM!* The god hunter goes down without a sound. “Never again.” He grounds out still holding the frying pan at the ready. Making Mike and Axl stare at him in amazement. 

 

Aerodrome: Every so often Anders will drive out near the airport just to sit and look at the planes land and take off, trying to catch a little bit of the freedom they seem to exude for himself. 

 

y'all: “Y’all come back real soon now!” The big gab toothed woman hollers after them.  
“Please Mike for the love of all gods let’s never go back there!” Ty begs from the back seat. Anders moans his agreement, and whimpers as his bruised but cheeks touch the seat, he’s never been pinched that much in his life. 

 

Rubber: He’d been cleaning when he found the letter from the hospital, and it’s only when he scans the contents he realizes he and Hellen had forgotten to use protection. 

 

LEGO: “I got bored waiting.” Anders defended himself, though he needn’t have bothered. Everyone was too busy staring at the replicas of the Sydney opera house and the Eifel Tower to comment. 

 

Busted: “See Ty? I told you it wasn’t me that was stealing your cupcakes.” Anders voice sounds from behind them and the lights are suddenly turned on. Busted!

 

Glow in the dark: Val insists Axl is too old for a night light. The day after Anders sticks plastic replicas of the planets and about fifty little plastic stars in various constellation to Axl ceiling, which Val can’t deny is educational. And when Axl reluctantly turns out the light, the entire ceiling comes alight with a soft glow that allows Axl to sleep. 

 

Jelly fish: Axl thinks it’s fun to throw Jelly fish after his brothers until Anders tells him that the bits that look more solid is actually the brain and intestines, the he thinks they are too gross to touch. 

 

Star fish: Mike knows that Anders is seriously ill when mum makes her chicken soup and dad cuts the soft bread into little star fish shapes before he takes it up to him.

 

Canned tuna: “You made Anders put away the groceries last night didn’t you?” Ty asks from his place by the cupboard. When Mike gives a nod and a questioning look Ty holds up a can of tuna so Mike can see the ‘R.I.P’ written on the top of it. 

 

Baseball card: “What is his problem?” Axl asked and frowned at the door Anders had just violently slammed. “I said I’d get him another one.”  
Mike picked up the album Axl had spilled coke all over and pointed to the soggy remains of a formerly absolutely mint card. “Axl, aside from the emotional value these cards have for your brother, a 1940 Joe DiMaggio Play Ball Baseball Card in mint condition is worth about 35.000 US dollars.” 

 

Bees: Dawn watches in amazement as Anders hums, holds out his hand and the two bees she’d spend the morning trying to chase out immediately flies over and land on it. 

 

Spying: He’s not spying on the two of them, he’s not. He’s just… following them with his eyes, and maybe a little bit in his car or on foot. But that’s not spying, really it’s not.

 

Friend: “I told you I was thru with this family.” The voice sound on the intercom.  
“I’m not here as family. I’m here as a friend.” Silence, then the door buzzes open.

 

Hug: Anders stand alone, looking brittle and pale. Mike sighs and wishes for the days where he could solve his brothers problems with a hug.

 

Pets: “Zeb wait outside.”  
“Why?”  
Anders points to the sing: ‘No Pets Allowed.’

 

Coffee: Anders avoids all violence like the plague, but if you steal his morning coffee.... 

 

Bracelet: “Please don’t tell.” Anders begs when he realizes that he’s still got the medical bracelet on and that she’s seen it.

 

Calendar: She tells him the news Friday night, she wakes up alone Saturday morning, tears have already begun to spring in her eyes when she hears the door, and five minutes later Anders comes in with a breakfast tray and something tucked under his arms. It’s a big calendar a pair of markers. “Its how they do it in the movies, you make a big circle with the red one and mark of the days with the black one.” Anders says and leans in to kiss her first on the mouth then on her stomach. Her eyes start tearing up again. 

 

What?: “What?” They all stare at Anders as if he’s sprouted another head. Anders grins and patiently repeats: “I’m getting married.” 

 

Pineapple Lumps: “First of Axl, it’s only in hotels that they place chocolate on peoples pillows, secondly those chocolates are all in wrappers.” 

 

Stuffed cat: When Dawn arrive at the hotel and open her suitcase to unpack she finds that she’s had a stowaway, a little lifelike toy cat with a note tucked into its collar. ‘So you don’t miss you own.’ 

 

'Birds and bees' speech: “Now Axl when a man loves a…” Anders interrupts him.  
“Love isn’t necessarily involved you know.”  
“Shut up Anders. Now when a man loves a woman.”  
“Or a man. A man can love another man.”  
“Errr yes it could also be two men.” Mike concedes.  
“Or it could be two women, or..”  
“SHUT IT! Go away Anders.” Anders shrugs and leaves the room. Ten painful minutes later Mike is done. “So do you have any questions Axl?”  
“No I already asked those when they told us in biology class. Can I go now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!  
> Please let me know what you think, and feel free to give me words or ask me to elaborate on a few lines. Naturally that also goes for the old lines, and not just this chapter.  
> Cheers Aramir!


	8. Can I Have A Word With You?

Flavored play dough: “But… why ‘flavored’ if you’re not meant to eat the stuff? Shouldn’t it have been ‘scented’ instead?” Anders asked then looked at Axl who’s play dough bucket was suspiciously empty. “Axl did you…?”  
*BUUUURP*  
*sniff* “Yuck! Definitely NOT strawberry scented.”

 

Sandwich: “Why is it called a sandwich when you only want the burger, but a burger when you want it with a menu?” Axl wonders out loud.  
“Ah food philosophy, my favorite.” Olaf says putting on a thoughtful expression. Then confesses, “I have no idea.”

 

Golf ball: “Are you trying to tell me something babe?” Olaf says as he sees Stacey’s new t-shirt with the print: Golf ball Liberation Army.’ And the picture of a golf ball breaking a golf club. 

 

Dive: “I swear he has gills.” Johan says in wonder as Anders finally breaks the surface triumphantly holding aloft the watch his maternal grandmother dropped over the side of the boat.

 

Ankle: Mike knows that it’s not nice to wish other people ill, and he’s not really doing so. It’s just that, well if one of his brothers had to fall and twist an ankle while they were on a hiking trip in the middle of nowhere, why the fuck couldn’t it have been Anders instead of Axl? 

 

Coca Cola: “Cool trick!” Axl exclaims. As the last of the violently fizzing mix of mentos and cola leaves the bottle.  
All Anders can think is ‘what a waste of perfectly fine Cola.’

 

Game boy: “I want to try.” Axl says.  
“No.”  
“Let your brother play Anders.”  
“It’s mine and I’m using it.”  
“You are the older you should set a good example and learn to share.”  
“I am setting a good example, I’m showing him that by taking that paper rout I made enough money of my own to buy the thing I wanted, I’m also showing him that just because you want something it doesn’t mean you’ll get it, and that if you want to borrow something you should really learn to say please.”

 

Star Wars: Anders was supposed to take Axl to see Attack of the Clones, but Anders had left and no one had heard from him, not even Ty. And now it was impossible to get tickets for the first two weeks after the premiere Axl was deeply disappointed. Two days before the premiere Zeb came over in ecstasy.  
“You have the coolest brother Ever!” He said and showed Axl the envelope Anders had left with Zeb’s mother. It contained two tickets to the premiere, money for candy and a note saying: ‘Sorry I can’t be there. – A’.

 

Homosexual: “Why Do you tell everyone I’m a homosexual?”  
“I don’t, I tell them you are gay. It’s not my fault they chose to believe I mean homosexual instead of merry and jolly.”

 

Heterosexual: “I’m as straight as they come.” Colin insists making Anders lift an eyebrow.  
“Really? So that wasn’t you just checking out my ass when I went to get drinks.” Colin snorts.  
“Please. That had nothing to do with gender but the appreciation of something close to perfection. If you had a decent pair of tits to go with it I’d have had you over my couch long ago.”  
Anders nearly snorts beer out his nose laughing. “If that’s your definition of being heterosexual I can see why you became a lawyer.”

 

Bisexual: “I can’t believe you are that shocked Axl. Olaf has always been one of broad horizons, why should he be limited when it came to sexuality?” Anders says and goes over to greet his grandfather’s new boyfriend.

 

Pansexual: “You don’t chose because there is no choice everyone is the same gender. It’s sort of the John Lennon version of sexuality.” Anders explains and goes on: “Imagine there’s no genders? It’s easy if you try.’” 

 

Drawing: He hasn’t spoken since it happened. But he draws. He draws with a talent no one knew he possessed, with a passion that’s fierce and awe-inspiring to behold, he draws such beautiful terrible images that he doesn’t need to speak. After all a picture is worth a thousand words… 

 

Crumbs: Anders can always tell who has been in his apartment by the crumbs left behind. Crisps or pizza crusts = Axl. Cake or rice = Ty. White bread or popcorn = Olaf. Pasta or curry sauce = Mike and no crumbs but happy fish = Dawn.

 

Cricket: “So how was the trip?” Dawn asks when she picks him up at the bus station.  
“Terrible! I swear to you Dawn that place was either a Cricket farm or the little fuckers were having a convention. I haven’t slept a wink all week! God I missed the ‘quiet’ of the city. But the client was happy…” Anders prattles on and Dawn sighs in contentment. ‘God it’s been too quiet without him.’ 

 

Hungry: “WFP” Dawn reads aloud from the list of cheeks she has to pay for Anders. “Anders what is WFP and what are we paying them 5.000 dollars for?”  
“World Food Program.” Anders translates. “It’s a charity organization that does exactly what it says.”  
“It’s a good cause I’m sure, but 5.000? That’s a lot of money for us right now Anders.”  
“We all have our weak spots Dawn, me I grew up being ever hungry for something for one reason or another, not something I’d wish on anyone. And I can’t understand a world where we produce enough food to feed us all thrice over yet people still die of hunger. I like money, I like making and spending money, but I do not like having just to have, that’s greed and that’s just wrong.”  
“If I skip my Christmas bonus can I raise the amount?”

 

Nintendo: “You have got to be kidding me.” Michele says as she sees Axl setting up the game system in Mike’s living room.  
“Five dollars a game, winner takes 70% of the pot, second place 20 and third place 10. You in?” Anders asks with a smile and a wink.  
“Oh I’m in.” Michele says and returns the smile.

 

Folder: “This is all the information you have on him?” The man gives a nod. “No backup’s, copies or such?” The man shakes his head. “Good. The your services is no longer required.”

 

Sugar: Val persuades Mike that they don’t have the money to send Anders on the school trip to Sydney, not that he was hard to persuade since he doesn’t like them being anywhere he can’t keep an eye on then. Anders takes his revenge by absolutely stuffing Axl and Zeb with anything with sugar in it and then taking off to spend the weekend with a friend.

 

Backpack: Since he’s been about eight Anders has had a backpack ready so he can just take of at any time. He’s over thirty has his own business and flat, yet he still has that backpack. 

 

Rugby: “It’s only for real men.” “You? You’d be trampled within a minute.” “I just don’t think you’re cut out for this, why don’t you try the chess club instead?” Being turned down is nothing new, he just wished they would have let him at least try it, if only just the once.

 

Flip flops: “Anders, you’re wearing …” Olaf says as he arrives to pick up Anders from a music festival.  
“Yes well I might have been spectacularly fucked up last night and so, apparently, was the woman I was with because she left in my cloths so I had the choice of going naked or… well this. And all I could find in the tent was her heels and a pair of flip flops.”  
“And you chose those?”  
“Please, like flip flops would work with this dress.” 

 

Coral: “I don’t know who’s happier about that coral, Anders or the fish?” Mike said from where he was watching his brother watch his fish examine the new addition to their home. 

 

Sprouting: “Did he say what he wanted?” Ingrid asks as Olaf unlocks the door to Anders’ apartment.  
“No only that he needed our help and that we should properly be sober for this.” Olaf answers. “Anders we’re here! Now what did you need our…” Olaf stops as he turns the corner into the living area and spots his grandson.  
“Olaf what are you..? Oh!” Ingrid exclaims as she also catches sight of Anders.  
“Yes oh.” Anders agrees and continues. “Now I was hoping one of you could tell me why I’ve suddenly sprouted wings?”


	9. One For Me, One For You

Confusing: “If I can describe Olaf in one word? Sure I can: Confusing.”

 

Cheese: The only thing they can agree on is that they want extra cheese on their pizza. It’s not much but it’s a place to start.

 

Construction equipment: One of the reasons Axl choose to become a builder is all the cool equipment he gets to play with. Sure Mike calls it work, but digging trenches or knocking down shit with big machines is totally playing in Axl’s book. 

 

Train: They have barely lived in Auckland for a month before Anders knows almost every bus and train schedule by heart, the others think it’s so he never misses a bus, when in reality it’s so he always knows the fastest route to get out.

Train (2): The drive from school to their house takes them by the train yard, and every time the pass it Anders feels the temptation to just get his backpack get on the train drive down to Wellington and let himself disappear among it’s thousands upon thousands of people. 

 

Soaked: “No, no, no!” Anders wails as he sees the aquarium has sprung a leak, the stream of water having sprayed wide enough to absolutely soak his couch and the papers he needs to turn in tomorrow. Anders sees none of this though he’s too busy making sure the fish are alright. 

 

Soaked(2): The rain has been pouring for hours now, yet still he walks the streets of the city trying to pretend it’s the soaked weight of his cloths and not his own loneliness that’s dragging him down.

 

Lamp: “So going as a dwarf? Oh no that wouldn’t really be a costume for you would it?” Axl smirks and thinks himself funny.  
“Well you could go as lamp then, tall with an inflated head and the only way you get to see the light is by delivering a huge jolt of electricity up your back side.” Anders bites back.

 

Snake: “YES!” Axl exclaims arms aloft in triumph he turns to Ty and shows him the screen of the phone. “I finally managed to beat Mike’s record!” 

 

Coal: “I got coal for Christmas one year.” Anders says. “I was nine, dad took me outside showed me the pile of coal he’d just had delivered and told me it was my Christmas present for being so bad that year. He thought it was hilarious. At least until he came home a few days later and I’d sold the coal to the neighbor, the only reasons I didn’t get the tar beaten out of me was that he couldn’t deny that he’d said it was mine and the fact that I had actually managed to sell it for a fair prize.” 

 

Breakfast: At some point Dawn started making their morning meeting into a breakfast meeting, she says it’s just more practical but he knows it’s her way of making sure he eats. He goes along with it because he rather likes the feeling that someone cares and it makes him feel less alone.

 

Chewing gum: *Pop* … *pop* … *POP!*  
“Axl have you ever seen Chicago?” 

 

Lawnmower: Generally speaking he’s as mechanical as one of his goldfish. But he’s pushed enough lawnmowers around trying to earn pocket money that if the mower is more than fifteen years old, chances are he can identify it by sound and if need be disassemble and reassemble it even in the dark. 

 

Cookbook: “You have no porn?” Axl asks stunned.  
“No, why would I?” Anders asks slightly confused.  
“To… you know.” Axl mimics tossing off.  
“Please, that would be the equivalent of being hungry and looking in a cookbook instead of going to get some actual food.” 

 

Country and western music: “You know what happens when you play a country song backwards?” Anders asks Mike and Michele as they watch the rest of the gods, goddesses and Dawn try to line dance.  
“Is this going to be one of those questions where I’ll regret any form of answer?” Mike asks and take a swing from his beer.  
Michele is much braver so she asks. “No what happens?”  
“Your pickup works, your dog comes back and your wife loves you again.” Anders says and both he and Michele smiles and salutes each other behind Mike’s back when he snorts beer. 

 

Tea: Caught in a rainstorm fingers frozen fumbling with the keys, pours water into the kettle and switches it on, pealing of soaked cloths slipping into old comfy cloths, put leaves in mug pour water, fingers closing around the hot mug stealing warmth as the tea steeps, first scalding sip the taste of calm. 

 

Stockings: “I used to think it was because our parents were cheapskate and didn’t love us that we didn’t get any Christmas stockings. Then I turn twenty one and ‘oh now it makes sense why anything related to Christianity might not be all that welcome.’ Of course I still don’t really know if they loved us.”

 

Chosen: “He dies first.” The man points at Anders, and never in his life has Anders been happier to be chosen for something. 

 

Sharp: “I know what you are thinking.” The blonde beside her says waking her from the doze the lecture has caused her to fall into. He continues without waiting for her to even acknowledge she’s heard him, “you’re wondering if it’s possible to slit ones wrists on the sharp edges of the table and put an end to the misery that is this lecture. It’s not, thousands have tried before you.” He assures her the very picture of honesty and sincerity and she has to laugh earning a stern look from the professor. “Come on let me rescue you from this slow death.” Her companion says and gestures to the doors.  
“But the lecture…” She begins.  
“He says the same thing every year, you can borrow my notes, come on.” He rises and holds out his hand. “I’m Anders.”  
Making a split decision she takes his hand and get’s up. “I’m Dawn.” 

 

Bacon: “Everyone talks about the taste of vengeance, how it’s best served cold, how it’s bitter or it’s sweet. But how does it Really taste?” Olaf contemplates one morning.  
Anders reaches out picks up a single slice of crispy bacon holds it out and Bragi shining clearly in his eyes and flowing on his voice says: “Like bacon, it tastes like bacon.” 

 

Klingon: “Every language?” Axl ask doubtingly. Olaf nods sagely.  
“Hey Anders!” Axl calls out to his brother. “Say something in Klingon.”  
“bISeH'eghlaH'be'chugh latlh Dara'laH'be'.” Anders says without even having to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bacon: According to the myths Bragi is killed in the Dwarven tusk boar battle at Ragnarok. I know I'm being silly.
> 
> Klingon translation: If you cannot control yourself, you cannot command others.
> 
> In case you have not seen Chicagot here is a song called the cellblock tango where one of the murderesses tells how her boyfriend drove her crazy with his ‘popping’ and she warned him if he did it One more time… and he did. ;-P  
>  
> 
> Please let me know what you think, what you like and even what you don't like.  
> And feel free to give me Words and challenges.  
> Cheers Aramir


	10. One Is The Loneliest Number

Mousetrap: For all that he is constantly being scolded Anders is actually a very obedient child. But on one point no scolding, trashing or punishment has any effect: He will not stop disarming the cruel old fashioned mousetraps.

 

Hair gel: “Oh my god it’s curly!” Dawn squeals in delight and only just manages to stop herself from reaching out to pet him when Anders manages to get soaked enough that his hair gel runs out and lets the natural curly state of his hair lose. 

 

Pot: The first year he lives alone Anders has one piece of cookware, an old pot he gets a lamb’s stew in as a welcoming present from the ancient German lady that rents the room next to his. She lived through both the depression and a country torn asunder by war, she knows need when she sees it so she takes him in like one of her kittens and teaches him how to cook everything from nothing in that one pot which she insists he keep. He still has it. 

 

Dog: “No! Don’t get near that dog he… bites?” The SPCA inspector stops and stares as the angriest most volatile dog they’ve been sent out to rescue from neglect in many years stops in front of the blond man it had run towards in its flight and instead of attacking like it had seemed it would starts wagging it’s tail and whimpering like an eager puppy as the man pets it gently on the head.  
“Snow fucking white.” Mike mutters as his heart slowly speeds down again after the fright of seeing the huge dog running towards Anders, and cast his gaze towards the heavens. “Why couldn’t he have been like this with people?”

 

Wallet: Anders is so used to being called names that it hardly even registers any more, but when some jerk bump into Dawn and calls her a stupid clumsy cow and then refuses even Bragi’s insistence that he apologize, he has no qualms letting his nimble hands liberate the guy’s wallet and proceed to treat Dawn to the most expensive items on the menu. 

 

Yarn: “Hold this.” Ingrid says and before he can protest Anders is left holding a massive amount of unwound yarn. Ingrid returns less than five minutes later to find Anders completely tangled in the yarn with a half guilty half pleading expression on his face.  
“I swear, all I did was sneeze and it just jumped me.”  
Ingrid walks up to him and flicks his ear. “Bad kitty.”

 

Rifle: “Ha what are you going to do with that rifle little man hurt us? You properly couldn’t even…” *blam!* the knife one of the four men holding Ingrid and Olaf had held is shot out of his hand.  
“I have four more bullets in this bitch one for each of you, next one goes straight between someone’s eyes. No I repeat: Let them go.” 

 

Steal: Mike often accuses him of using Bragi to exploit people, get them to give him things for free or at least for less. But he doesn’t, it would feel too much like stealing, and Anders doesn’t steal… except for pens in banks and such, but those pens are meant for stealing so they don’t count.

 

Paper cut: “Well that just goes to prove it.” Anders says as he cuts himself on the paper while he’s wrapping the SPCA Blue Tick cook book he’s bought Ty for his birthday. “No good deed goes unpunished.”

 

Squirrel: “A squirrel?!? I ask you what the most fascinating thing you saw in Norway was and you answer a squirrel? Are you shitting me?” Ty wants to know.  
“No man. I’ve never actually seen one outside tv, they are a lot smaller than I thought, freakishly fast and the amount of expression in their little body is just so…what?” Anders asks as Ty grins at him.  
“You old softy you.” Ty says and ruffles Anders hair.  
“Fuck you Ty.” But there’s no heat in it.

 

Giant hole: Turns out Odin should never try to hang a picture when he’s drunk, he gets a bit carried away when the nails refuse to cooperate.

 

Horse: “I agreed to go horseback riding, not dinosaur riding.”  
“It’s not a dinosaur Anders.”  
“Well then giraffe. I bet you I could walk straight under it without having to duck at all. How on earth did you imagine I’d manage to get up there? Do you have a step ladder?”  
“I do actually.”  
“Fuck.”

 

Bee sting: “Never? Not even once?”  
“Nope.”  
“But I’ve seen how bees flock around you at times, how can you not have gotten stung?”  
“It’s the honey on my tongue, they can’t resist it.”

 

Mechanical bull: “It’s all in the strength of your thighs, the surety of your grip and your ability to move with every motion of the bull.” Anders says when Axl tumbles down for the third time.  
“Oh yeah? You do it then if you’re the expert.” Axl grumbles.  
“Hold my drink.” Is all Anders says as he hands Ty the drink, gets on, and proceeds to ride the thing with a grace and fluidity of movement that makes watching him ride a sensual experience.

 

Stargate: “You know I don’t think they could have made the alien Thor less like the real one if they had set out to do so.” 

 

Door: It’s just a piece of wood, might not even be real wood actually, but to him it’s like the gates of Moria, inside are dangers untold (Val) and hardships unnumbered (Mike) that must be braved before he can make it to where the treasure (Ty, Axl) lies. Anders sighs and turns around without even making it all the way down the driveway, he’s neither Frodo nor Sara, he’s just not that brave.

 

Deaf: It’s only when it’s all too late that they realize Anders wasn’t being difficult, he was screaming for help the only way he knew.

 

Chain: “Mike it’s me I might not have a lot of time so shut up and listen. Remember that woman I told you about, you know the one who said she would love to carry me away from it all and chain me to her bed? Well here’s the thing…”

 

Wrench: “I’m not letting go so don’t you dare do so either!” Anders yells even as he feels his shoulder being wrenched from its socket by the continued stain. 

 

Arm: She can’t believe it, two hours before her cousin’s wedding and she’s been stood up! She’ll have to stay at work now because she can’t show up alone she just can’t! The rustle of cloths can be heard and she looks up. “What are you doing?”  
“Changing, you’re lucky I picked up my tux from the cleaners on the way here.”  
“But…”  
“You need a date, I have a tux and fuck it’s not like I get anything done when you’re not here so…” He finis tying his bowtie and offers her his arm.


	11. One More Word Out Of You...

Jaguar: There is just something about the smell of real leather upholstery that makes Anders nauseous, anxious and makes him feel dirty. He can’t remember why that is, but he knows it has something to do with the fact that he doesn’t do LSD anymore. 

 

Worn: Dawn had bought Anders a pair of blue and white chequered cotton pj’s the first year they’d know each other. Years later while he had been drunk as a skunk Anders had confessed that he still had it but only wore it when he was feeling alone and forgotten. Which is what makes Dawn tear up when she finds the thing and it’s so worn it’s nearly in pieces. 

 

Homework: Mum and dad might not be like all the parents they see on tv or even their friends parents, but they do conform to the norm where homework is concerned. Homework is important and you will be left alone so you can concentrate on doing it as well as you can. Anders loves his homework.

 

A-team: “Well the only one who’s really obvious is Anders as Face.” Stacey says.  
“Oh don’t let the little shit hear you or he’ll get even smugger.” Michele grouches.   
“He’s not here Michele you don’t have to pretend you don’t like him, your secret crush on him is safe with us.” Ingrid says in a sincere voice and pats Michele on the arm causing Michele to gape at her and Stacey to burst out laughing. 

 

Peanut butter: “Hi Anders, what are you doing here?” Axl asks as he enters his house.  
“I was looking for someone to take care of my fish while I’m away on business.”  
“Sure just give me a key.”  
“Well thanks for offering but I already asked Zeb.”  
“Why? I mean why not one of the rest of us? No offence Zeb.”  
“Normally Dawn would do it, but she’s coming with me. I’m not letting any of the goddesses have a key to my apartment or I’ll come home to Blackbeard’s castle. Mike would turn me down, Ty have already frozen several fishes so no, Olaf? Eh no he’ll forget and they’ll starve. And no way am I leaving them with someone who thinks a pbj’ sandwich is proper nutrition for a fish.”

 

Counter strike: “Duck, duck, duck!”   
“No, no, nooooooooooo! Argh you killed me you fucker, I’m on your team you know.”  
“I Told you to duck.”

 

Coconut: “Okay, so maybe asking Thor to crack the coconut wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.” Axl confesses and wipes bits of coconut sludge of his face.

 

Donald Duck: “You don’t like Donald Duck? How can you not like Donald Duck?” Stacey asks Ty who looks uncomfortable and ends up getting up with a “I just don’t.” and goes to the toilet.  
“He reminds him of dad.” Anders explains once Ty has closed the door behind him.  
Stacey laughs. “Donald Duck reminds Ty of your dad?”  
“It’s because he’s a bad tempered sailor who beat’s up on his nephews and uses his charm to get away with it.” Anders answers with a shrug. “I can see the resemblance myself.”

 

Rat: He used to be afraid of rat’s. Back on the farm the rat’s fat on grain had been as big as cat’s, every once in a while getting into the house, into the cellar where they were send as punishment to sit in the dark with only the noise of the rat’s scurrying and their own harsh breath. He used to be afraid of rat’s, but that was before he truly knew what fear was.

 

Barricade: It takes the combined effort of them both, but they manage to move the huge filing cabinet in front of the door and the desk in front of the cabinet with the chair throw on top simply because it’s all they have left to add to the barricade. They crawl under the desk to add their own weight and cling to one another in the hope that there is still someone out there to come rescue them. 

 

Donkey: “You are what?” Johan asked incredulously nearly dropping the dish he was drying.   
“I’m in the nativity play.” Anders said as he scrubbed at a stubborn stain, “I was hoping for shepherd and wound up Josef.” The expression on his face clearly showing he did not think that a step up. “Big whoop, the man was obviously henpecked and his greatest contribution was leading a donkey.” 

 

Rapunzel: They really were too old for bunk beds Ty thought as he lay in the bottom bunk staring at nothing and unable to fall asleep in the heat. On top Anders moved to catch the breeze from the open window, his head now resting at the very edge of the bed making his long curly locks spill over the side. Ty smiled as he saw and in as ‘passionate’ a voice as possible called out: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your golden hair.”


	12. One Small Step

Eraser: He never speak of it but sometimes he will draw it, and once he’s done he’ll take the eraser and work at the paper until there isn’t a single dark smudge to be seen anywhere or the paper crumbles under the movement from the eraser. It’s not much but it helps.

 

Microwave: “So you followed the instructions on the package?”   
“Yes. I poured it into a soup bowl stuck it in the microwave for three minutes, stirred it then put it in for another two minutes.”  
“When you put it in again, did you remember to take out the spoon?”  
“….oh.”  
“Yeah ‘oh’ is right.”

 

Microwave(2): “What part of: Don’t try this at home.’ Didn’t you get?” Anders asks as he examines the smoking husk of what was once his microwave and the charred remains of a couple of cd’s in it that had started it all. 

 

Sleepover: “Sleepover?” Olaf asks eyes begging and a pillow smelling faintly of smoke under one arm. Anders just sighs, point him towards the couch and get out some bedding. 

 

Pencil Sharpener: When Axl moves out, it’s like a strange silence settles over the house in the evenings. If he closes his eyes Mike can still hear his brothers talking about homework, teasing each other, laughing or yelling, but always beneath it the sound of the old pencil sharpener working to keep up with the many pencils they would use.

 

Elbow: There is a saying about how you need to have pointy elbows to get ahead in the world.  
Anders finds that a flexible tongue and a winning smile is much more effective. 

 

Bomb: “You will lower your gun, you will let these nice people go, you will disarm that bomb and you will answer any questions the police officers have for you.”

 

Twinkies: Val is on a health flip in her pursuit of getting pregnant, so everything even hinting at unhealthy is banned and off the budget. A week in Anders forms the ‘Twinkie Society’ who’s sole purpose is to ensure everyone get’s a dose of unhealthy goodness at least twice a week. 

 

Jar: “For the love of…OPEN!!” Axl yells as he pulls, pushes, yanks and uses brute force to try and open the jar of pickles to make his sandwich, but the thing won’t budge. Relenting he hands it over to Anders who opens it with only three fingers and a flick of the writs. 

 

Floppy disk: It’s really quite ridiculous how inept the entire family is with computer related technology Anders thinks as he watches Axl fumble with the USB key he’s managed to first drop into the ketchup on his plate then step on not once but twice in the last twenty seconds. The amount of CD-ROM’s Ty had somehow managed to scratch the great barrier reef into, the number of floppy disks Mike have managed to leave in the sun or other placed that would destroy then, and the amount of data tape spaghetti Dad had made and Olaf who only have to look at a computer for it to give up its life spark.  
Anders seems to be exempted from the curse, which would be somewhat more wonderful if it didn’t mean that everyone would turn to him for help or simply borrow his stuff only to return it broken more often than not.  
Speaking of which…  
“Axl! Don’t you dare stick that stick in my notebook!”


	13. One Two I love you, Three Four No More...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The same as always..one big mix of Words. ;-)

******

 

Blond: Studies show that people are less inclined to take you serious if you are blond, and even less so if you have curls no matter the color. So Anders with his curly blond hair? Yeah they do tend to ignore him and gloss over his words, though he does talk a lot of crap so they can mostly be forgiven. Unless he get’s ‘that’ look on his face… then you better take him fucking serious or you will never know what hit you.

 

Blood: “Apple?” Ingrid offers holding it up to his face. Anders flinches back but it’s too late and the smell assaults him making everything turn a hazy red and instead of apples all Anders can smell is the iron and copper smell of fresh blood. 

 

Water: Anders is like water. Come at him gently and he’ll catch you and embrace you like a lover. Come at him fast and hard and he’ll fell as solid and hard as rocks. It’s your own bloody fault if you get hurt…

 

Shark: Johan being a man of the ocean have always linked his sons to sea creatures. He’s always liked Anders to a clown fish: colourful but harmless. The way Anders is looking at him now though, standing in front of his brother, eyes nearly black... a very different sea creature comes to mind. 

 

Radio controlled car: They are grounded, all three of them. Send to their rooms and told to stay there. Johan startles from where he’s just coming up to get some towels when the little radio controlled car comes speeding out from Ty’s room turning and making a beeline for Anders door at the end of the hall. It hits the door with a little clunk and it’s opened almost at once Anders pale hand reaching out and lifting it in closing the door after him. A few seconds later the door opens again and the car is set down, something put in the truck bed of it, and Anders makes a coughing sound which seems to be a signal because the car takes of heading back to Ty’s door. As it speeds past Johan can see its load of a chocolate bar and a rolled up comic. Elisabeth wouldn’t approve and he shouldn’t either…. But Johan doesn’t say a word as the truck speeds back a few seconds later with an apple, he merely steps around it and go gets the towels.

 

Pastels: When you say ‘pastels’ you think soft and bright. Neither word’s you’d use to describe Ty. But Anders can’t think of a better method of capturing a bit of his brother and when Ty comes by un announced and finds the just finished picture the look on his face as the schock fades can be described with two words: Soft and Bright. 

 

Slap: *SMACK!* the sound of the slap reverberate in the open space of the office. Agnetha finds herself holding her breath as Anders blinks twice then his whole face goes blank and a mask falls over it. “Yeah, now I believe you. Now I recognize you…mother.”

 

Snow tires: “And that Axl is why you must always make sure to not only pull the parking break, but make sure you have the appropriate tiers on. Ones that wont simply glide away in the snow.” Ty says and points to where Olaf’s car is, with ever increasing speed, rolling away from them down the hill with their grandfather giving chase.

 

Batman: Mike would be batman he thinks. He doesn’t play for fun but to win. It’s always either duty or revenge. He’s grouchy, he’s got a mean streak he tries desperately to suppress with limited success and he’s obsessed with keeping his secret identity.

 

Superman: He thinks Ty is a bit like Superman, no not the dark good looks or the icy breath. But in that he’s a genuinely good person and yet the love of his life only sees the divine part of him and totally overlooks the human and most important side of him.

 

Thor: Axl is a bit of a tossup between Hulk and Thor, with Thor coming out the winner simply because Axl could never be Bruce banner. And yes the irony of ‘Odin’ being ‘Thor’ is not lost. So Thor, in that he’s strong, he’s got a good heart which he follows more than he maybe should, he talks without thinking about what he’s saying first, he’s lived an incredibly sheltered life and because of this he’s clueless about how the real world actually works. But he tries his best and he’s learning…

 

Iron Man: Anders is neither proud nor ashamed that his superhero match would be Iron Man. He’s a player and a drunk, just like Tony. His smile is his armor and his words his weapons. He’s selfish, egocentric and doesn’t play well with others. No one wants’ him around except when they realize they need him and he has a shit load of regrets and issues just waiting to burst out of the shadows like super villains in a anniversary issue and just like tony he’ll deal or he’ll die and only rarely giving a toss either way. 

 

The Watcher: Olaf? Olaf would be The Watcher. Forced to watch as times goes by leaving him untouched, to do nothing more than watch as everything unfolds around him. Not a super hero or a villain, he just is. 

 

Ocean: Anders is like the ocean. He’s beautiful, he’s terrible, shallow yet so deep, clear yet murky. People are drawn to him, they use him they play him they dump their garbage on him, they think they have him tamed and forgets what he is until he rises up in a storm a flood a tsunami and remind them. Anders is like the ocean and just like with the ocean something is always happening beneath the surface be it ever so quiet…

 

Blue eyes: The sea of Anders blue eyes is the only one Njord can’t calm or bend to his will no matter how much he tries.

 

Strength(1): Axl is the strongest of his brothers lifts great weights with nary a drop of sweat.  
Strength(2): Mike is the strongest of his brothers caries the responsibility of being oldest and in charge without asking for help even once.  
Strength(3): Ty is the strongest of his brothers carries around cold and darkness yet never lets it touch the core of his soul.  
Strength(4): Anders is the strongest of his brothers carries his head high and is unapologetic about being who he is despite everyone giving him nothing but shit for it.

 

5.2 diet: ”I think you got it wrong Anders. It’s five days eating and two days fasting, not the other way around.”

 

Fred Flintstone: “ANDERS!!!” Mike thunders as he knocks on the door his brother have just run through, slammed and locked in his face. 

“Wilma!” Zeb shouts behind him.

There is total stunned silence for all of ten second where Zeb begins to make his testament in his head, then the sound of laughter can be heard from behind the door setting everyone off and Zeb breaths easy again.

 

Secret Society: Zeb can feel his heart beating fast in his chest, casts a quick and hopefully discrete look around making sure no one is near. The coast clear he knocks on the nondescript door. The peephole is opened and a hard blue gaze pierce him.  
“Pass?”  
“Fish are friends not food.” Zeb solemnly swears. The peephole is shut and the door is opened just enough to let him enter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Elenhin. Because she's who she is and she asked.
> 
> I invite everyone to feel free to give me more words to use for this, or even give me specific challenges for fics they'd like me to take a crack at. It sounds crazy but the more I have to do the more I get done. :-) Help me?
> 
>  
> 
> Comments makes my day.  
> Cheers Aramir


	14. I Walk The Line

m&m diet: Three days in and Anders will now feel like throwing up if he even smells chocolate. Three weeks in and Zeb remarks that if nothing else then Axl’s farts now smell of chocolate instead of shit. That pretty much puts everyone of the sweets for a looooong time. 

 

Giant spider web: The web is huge, covering the entire garage entrance. Mike is just about to sweep it away when Anders starts telling Axl about how the spiders build their webs and how it’s both their home and fridge painting such a picture that Mike can only sigh and lower his broom. He’ll have to park on the street for a while it seems.

 

Dancing: Dawn’s dance teacher once described dancing as seduction and sex on a dance floor, so it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Anders is amazingly good at it.

 

Mute: They’ve each wished at some point more or less jokingly that Anders would lose his voice. It’s been five weeks now since ‘it’ happened and there isn’t one of them that wouldn’t give the world to hear Anders snark at them. 

 

Deaf: Anders isn’t sure if he’d notice if Mike had gone deaf, it’s not like he ever listens to anything Anders says anyway.

 

Journal: Mike thinks he’s girly for keeping a journal, Ty thinks he’s playing at being Indiana Jones, Dad thinks he’s keeping a logbook like a good sailor, mum doesn’t give a hoot and Axl is a baby. Anders keeps it because he saw Anne Frank.

 

Hog: The thing is huge, more horse than pig. With tusks like a mini elephant and murder in its eyes. Anders thinks it’s an amazing animal, Bragi thinks of prophecies and shivers. 

 

Empuse: “I fucking hate snakes.” Anders shudders and closes his eyes as he hears a hiss, unknowing saving himself from the fate of being turned into stone. The hunter’s behind him are not so lucky.

 

Key: Why would she ask for the key to his apartment when she already has the one to his heart? 

 

Feather: New Zealand Raven, an extinct species. Anders cut’s the end like they learned at the museum and dips it in the ink he’s bought. He’ll make this dead bird take flight again he wows and put pen to paper... 

 

Pester: Since his early teens Mike has wished for his brothers to stop pestering him. When Axl moves out as the last one Mike finds himself wishing for someone to come pester him out of his own thought again. 

 

Jury: He looks around him for a neutral face, but there is no jury here only judges. And they have all been paid off it seems.

 

Puddle: It’s just a drop, nothing really. He just have to catch his breath first. It’s just a stain, it will wash of. He’s just in too much pain to move. It’s...oh it’s a puddle now...maybe he should...but he’s so tired now... it doesn’t even hurt anymore.

 

Pulse: Ullr is the god of the hunt, he can track anything. Right now Mike only wants to find a pulse beneath the pale flesh of his brother’s throat. 

 

Baggily: When they find him he’s shaking under a tattered blanket, so Ty gives him his shirt and wants to cry when the normally only slightly too big garment hangs baggily as if it had been one of Axl's and not Ty’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Words are lovingly accepted


	15. one piece of cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is for SpyderzW3b and Elenhin. The most creative of commenters. Thank ye me lovelies. ;-)

Scavenger hunt: Axl’s birthday parties are the best all his classmates agree. Instead of being dressed in uncomfortable cloths that they will be scolded for ever for if they get dirty, they get to wear old clothes because they go on scavenger hunts all through the yard and nearby park, following the epic real looking pirate maps and with real pirate clues and all, and then they have a BBQ with hotdogs and hamburgers, not all that girly food their own parents want them to eat. Yeah Axl’s parties are the best. 

 

Velcro: Axl is close to tears, Mike is close to pulling out his own hair, and Val is close to snapping. Anders calls them all idiots, goes through his old stuff and finds a pair of shoes with Velcro ties gives them to Axl and says he’ll learn to tie his own shoes when he’s ready.

 

Cap gun: “BANG!” Axl yells as he jumps pout and ‘shoots’ his brother. Mike despite his grumpy mood can’t help but smile fondly as Anders ‘dies’ very theatrically and conveniently falls onto the couch and into Ty’s lap.

 

Stuck in letter box: Axl pulls and heaves, he tries letting go of his load and…nothing. Ty suggests oil and Mike unscrews the mail box, none of it helps. Anders sits him down gives him a beer and tells him a story so outrageous Axl forgets everything to laugh. There is a dull sound when the thing slips of. Seems all he needed to do was relax. 

 

Australia: “They have a million poisonous critters Anders, and you are allergic to everything, better stay here mate.” Mike says and leaves not hearing Anders reply that actually he’s only allergic to that one brand of soap and nothing else.

 

Motorbike: Ty is the quiet one Anders is the rebel, yet Ty is the one dreaming about tearing down the highway on a bike feeling the wind rip at his jacket.

 

Popcorn: *Snap* *pop* The bonfire crackles. Axl says it makes him think of popcorn and Ty agrees. Mike doesn’t say anything he just looks as Anders shiver in spite of the heat and knows he too hears the snap of bone instead of wood or the corn of the younger’s minds. 

 

'It wasn't me': Anders can count the number of months Val and Mike have been dating by the times of day he has to say: ‘It wasn’t me.’ If they ever get married, he thinks, his life will be hell.

 

Marshmallow: Axl is devastated when his scout trip is canceled on account of the weather. He cheers up though when Anders shows him that marshmallows roasted over a candle makes just as good smores. 

 

Window: Mum and dad yells, Mike takes off in a cloud of dust, Ty hammers angrily at his bed, Axl cries for attention and Anders looks out the window wishing he was looking in instead.

 

Order: “Ty! Oh thank god you are here, could you tell Major Asshole and General Ignorance over there to stop issuing orders all the time? There’s a reason I never joined the army you know.” 

 

Mob: “Your name is Mikkel Johnson not Michael Corleone, though we are god’s we are only a family not a ‘familia’. And what I do with my time is none of your fucking business!” 

 

Possession: “I can’t see the bad in being treated like a possession. My parents were a damn sight more careful about how they treated their possessions than they ever where us that’s for sure.”

 

Fragment: “If you don’t clean out a wound properly it will fester.” The doctor says and shows them the fragment of wood that he’s just dug out of Anders neck.

 

Sailing: Dad takes them sailing sometimes, river, lake, ocean it doesn’t matter it’s always calm. The exact opposite of home really.

 

Geometry: Axl has a bit of trouble with his geometry, okay so he’s failing…or he was until Anders explained the questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space in a way no class room would ever allow.

 

Enough: “He’s dying, and you and your damn self-righteousness threw the one thing that could cure him into the compost grinder. So I think you’ve done enough don’t you?”

 

Shiver: Anders hates the cold, but when Ty breaks down Anders holds him even long after the temperature makes him shiver.

 

Swap: Power swaps are for comic books and Saturday morning cartoons… or so they thought.

 

Swap 2: Anders laughs like a loon as he skates across the lake, freezing it at he goes. Ty is a little pissed that he hadn’t thought of that.

 

Shoulder: They never talk about it, not really. They just look at each other then Anders punches him semi hard in the shoulder and he punches back, yeah they are good.


	16. Once or twice...again

Vinegar: “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Val points out superiorly. “I’m not trying to catch flies though am I?” Anders answers back, and Mike tries very hard not to smile.

 

Artificial coffee sweetener milk thingy: The cheap ass resort they are at don’t serve milk with breakfast for either drinking or the porridge. Porridge is the only breakfast items left when they come down though, and Axl only likes it with milk. Anders disappears for a few minutes then comes back with a tray full of ‘coffee milk’ caps. It takes almost twenty of the things but Axl get’s his breakfast.

 

Honour: “Honour,” Anders explains, “is not as straight forward as you think Axl. It’s not just keeping every promise you make, it’s also knowing when you need to break some of them, and then accepting the consequences.”

 

Gold: “The gold of your tongue flows as lively as the gold of your hall, yet not even that is as lovely as the gold the sun kissed upon your head. The golden god indeed.” The god says and the others watch in amazement as Anders’ cheek colours slightly. 

 

Dentist: Mike get’s Anders to the doctors by taunting him that even Axl will go. He get’s Axl to the dentist by taunting him that even Anders will go.

 

Rugby: They are a man short so they pull him in. He basically wins the game for his team with his ability to snatch the ball and never let anyone near him. When the coach asks him why he’s never tried out Anders reminds him that they wouldn’t let him.

 

Telescope: “It let’s you see thousands and miles away!” Peter brags. Anders doesn’t care, he doesn’t want to ‘see’ that far away, he wants to ‘be’ that far away.

 

Closet: He knows she means it as a punishment, locking him inside the closet. But he’s not afraid of the darkness or the cramped space. The darkness will hide him and the small space means he’s alone. In here he’s safe.

 

Cowboy: Olaf makes him a stick horse out of a broken broom when he’s four. He still dreams of being a cowboy every time he sees someone sweep. 

 

Acetylene(very explosive gas used for welding: “Think you have one more in you?” Anders asks and points. Colin follows his finger spotting the gas canister. He clutches the wound in his shoulder and gives a determined nod. “Let’s end this.”

 

Cow tipping: Mike and Rob is howling with laughter as the cow bellows at the sudden ungentle wakeup, Anders is caught between trying to be cool and wanting to comfort the animal. 

 

Rainbow: Anders reminds her of the rainbows of her childhood: Colourful and bright. Like those rainbows though she knows it’s impossible to catch him. That doesn’t stop her from wanting to try though.

 

Paranoia: “Still think I’m paranoid?” Anders says as the third arrow point digs halfway through the overturned table they are crouched behind.

 

Mug: The days have all been grey this week, like the eternal rain have washed away any trace of colour. Anders wordlessly hands her a mug of tea and gives her shoulder a little squeeze. As she sips the tea, she can slowly see the colours fight their way back. 

 

Pacemaker: Axl is five when he catches sight of a man with a scar on his chest. Mike tells him it’s from a pacemaker and then explains it’s to keep the heart going. Axl doesn’t get why you’d need a machine for that..isn’t that what you have family for?

 

Star Gazing: He takes his little brother by the hand leads him into his room and out the window onto the roof. “You can see the stars better from here.” 

 

Door: Mike knows a dozen tricks to get around a door lock, Axl can bodily break a door and Ty can break the lock and hinges by freezing them. The one door they can’t break through though is the one Anders hides behind.

 

Slippery When Wet: The second he spots the neon sign he knows what’s coming next, so he’s not at all surprised when Axl yells out in shock a second later and a loud thump is heard as he hits the floor. ‘It never fails.’ 

 

Height: There is only an inch between them in height. But when Anders is quiet like now even Ty towers over him.

 

Belt: Mike comes home after a school trip to find that dad has shot through and no one is telling him why. But then, they don’t need to. The marks of the belt can be seen for weeks on his little brothers skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still taking challenges Still accepting Words.
> 
> And kudos and comments are still divine.


	17. No One Does It Better

Pencil topper: Axl doesn’t see the point in pencil toppers, if you use them how will you chew the end when you don’t know the answer to your math problems? 

 

Unconscious: He feels the pale bloodstained flesh and sighs in relief. “Just unconscious, come on let’s get him out of here. We still need to find the others.”

 

Buffalo: “Wow.” Axl says and Val smiles.   
“Yes they were truly magnificent animal.”  
“Yeah, and think of how big the stakes would have been!”

 

Rodeo: Zeb’s cousin from America tells them all about his time working at a rodeo, with the result that Axl spends the next month climbing onto his brothers backs demanding they be his bucking bronco.

 

Cookie: “I can’t believe that actually worked.” Mike says as he watches three year old Axl happily walk around chasing the cookie dangling from the stick tied to his back...for the second hour straight.

 

Aquarium: The only card in Anders wallet that isn’t a credit card or key card is his all year free pass to the Aquarium. 

 

Chauvinist: “There is just no winning with women. I hold the door I’m either a chauvinist pig or out to get laid. I pay the bill it’s the same. If I bring flowers she wants’ to know what I’ve done.” Axl moans. Anders hums his agreement. “It’s little wonder Ty turned gay.” 

 

Harbour: The smell of salt and tar, seagulls screaming above, waves crashing against the pier, the tuck tuck of the fishing boats and the low tout of the ferry drawing near the harbour. Here he can breathe. 

 

Wrap: “It’s bloody hard!” Axl defends himself as the others point at the mess he’s made of the table. Then Anders comes in ear glued to the phone. He doesn’t ask if he can have one, he merely keeps talking into his phone shrugging his coat on with one hand and doing the wrap with the other like he’s never done anything else in his life not spilling a single piece of lettuce. “I fucking hate him.” Axl mutters as the watch him leave. 

 

Demanding: For all that Anders is an ass and a dick, he’s actually not that demanding. He’ll ask her to do a lot yes, but he never demands it.

 

Trauma: “Trauma” they say. “Shock.” The agree. He doesn’t care what they call it all he knows is that the memory of what he saw will never go away. 

 

Stone: What does he care for the stones and gems beneath the earth when the most precious of treasures sits not eight feet from him five days of the week? 

 

Report: Dawn prides herself on efficiency. Yet some days she will give the reports to Anders one by one, instead of just giving him the pile. And she’ll do it simply to keep checking on him and drag him away from where his thoughts are taking him.

 

Hunt: He sits still, he doesn’t want to alert the flock that he’s spotted pray. Slowly he eases forward, getting in position, weighing his options and checking the wind direction. Almost there, almost there... “Uhhh cake!” NO!

 

Skates: “Cheer up Bambi it’s not the end of the word.” Ty laughs as he helps Anders get up from the heap he’d fallen in the second he let go of the railing.

 

Forest: He knows the trees are watching them, he knows the wind is listening and the brook whispers as they cross it. He knows this forest is alive.

 

Bedroom: In here it’s all softness and warmth, sighs of pleasure. Out there it’s hard edges and coldness, angry shouts. If it were up to him he would never leave his bedroom.

 

Castle: “We will defend this castle with our lives!” Olaf and Axl declares and bounces around. Anders smirks, turns off the generator and watches the castle collapse in on itself and the two tall gods.

 

Mermaid: His lungs are burning from lack of air but he knows he can’t breathe or hell drown, then suddenly he’s breathing though he’s still sinking. He opens his eyes and she smiles at him before kissing him again. Well if gods are real why not mermaid?

 

Pez dispenser: “It’s a pill bottle Anders, not a Pez dispenser.”


	18. Line of thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Elenhin, SpyderzW3b and Filigirl237 for being such good commenter’s and word providers. Cheers guys! :-D

Tolkien: Tolkien’s writing is epic, as is Peter Jacksons movies, but when Anders reads them...that’s when fantasy becomes reality. 

 

Presentation: Part of the course is that they are given a surprise subject to do a presentation on, they have on hour to prepare. Axl smiles as he opens his folder and immediately calls Anders. The subject is illegal substances.

 

Test drive: “Sorry honey but I’m not really all that into cars.” Anders says and the sales woman pouts, but then smiles and lean forward to whisper: “That’s okay I have something else you can test drive if you want, and we can still burn rubber.”

 

Pin ball machine: “Figures.” Ty says as Anders beats yet another record on the machine. “He’s always known just which buttons to push and when to get the most effect.”

 

Cutting class: “Axl if you’re being stupid enough to cut class, at least be smart enough not to go to the park beside Mike’s place of work.”

 

No breakfast: Anders can go a day forgetting to eat and not notice at all, Axl is close to dying if he’s forced to forgo breakfast.

 

Though: Johan hit Anders to ‘toughen him up’. His skin still bruise and bleed just as easily, but his eyes are dry and his heart is like dragons hide. 

 

Binder: There is nothing immediately special about the blue binder that sits in the commode in his living room. The content of childrens drawings and hand made birthday Cards isn't that special either...at least not to anyone but him. 

 

Plastic toy soldier: Axl have a hundreds of the little soldiers, literally hundreds, yet his favorites are the one he’s inherited from Mike, because it reminds him that even someone as serious as Mike once knew how to play. 

 

Exhausted: “Anders we need...” Mike begins but one look at his brother and he shuts up, instead he ends up driving Anders home and tucking him in, his brother too exhausted to even make a joke when Mike undresses him for bed. 

 

Trellis: Anders will never ever admit it out loud, but the reason he started dating Sandy Woods was not that she was drop dead gorgeous, but because some part of him couldn’t resist the fact that there was a huge rose covered trellis leading up to her bedroom window. 

 

Credit card: Mike calls Anders selfish and bitches if he has to lend anyone even a dollar. Anders calls himself selfish yet simply hands over his credit card without a thought to getting paid back. 

 

Salt: He just lies there letting the sun beat down on him until the sea water in his hair and on his skin have turned to salt.

 

Nail varnish: Stacey paints her nails according to how she feels, she used to be mostly black, but since Olaf happened she’s been using mostly a deep warm blue.

 

Souls: ‘The souls of mortals are such fragile things.’ Idun thinks as she watches the two mortals caught between her and Bragi for a few seconds before she devotes herself to her eternal beloved. 

 

Ticket: It’s an open ticket, destination anywhere. The exact opposite of him really. 

 

Mountain: “Don’t let this beat you Axl. A mountain might look imposing but even Everest is only so much rock, dirt and snow when you break it down.”

 

Wreck: When Mike is fifteen he steals Olaf’s car and wrecks it. Not a single piece of it left un-dented or unbroken on the car and Mike walks away with a broken arm...an arm which he breaks slipping on the grass as he walks away from the crash.

 

True courage: Anders is frozen the cows thundering towards him, then he’s suddenly snatched up and pushed into the wall of the gully by a warm body not fully grown yet. The final thing he thinks before a horn knocks him out is: But Mike is scared of cows.

 

Bubble gum machine: Dawns swears Anders have gotten that thing just so he can watch Axl’s fumble for change and his face light up when he turns the lock and the little gum ball drops out.


	19. One Lump Or Two?

No sugar: “The fire have caused 38.000 tons of sugar to burn and melt into a caramel mass that flows like lava and covers 150 square meters.” Anders reads aloud from the article. Axl’s reaction is priceless. “But, but...the sugar, all that caramel... think of all the kids not getting any sugar now... should we send them money?” 

 

Freebee: Mike is too proud to take freebee’s, Axl will accept pretty much anything if it’s free.

 

Dog: Val doesn’t know what to think, she always thought the ‘it followed me home’ routine was a lie, but that was before she moved in with the Johnsons. This is the fifth dog this month… and they really do follow him home. 

 

Baby: “No, no, no! You know I’m terrified of those things.” Anders says and tries to escape. Dawn is quicker though and he finds himself holding the baby before he really knows what happened.

 

Funeral: “You don’t want a funeral?” Axl asked astounded. Anders shakes his head. “Nope, I’m getting cremated and then scattered over the ocean, already have the permit and everything.” 

 

Pillow: The soft and gentle cares, the smell of spring and shampoo the crisp sound of fresh linen bending, the way it molds around his head as it sinks down into the pillow… forget Asgard, This is heaven. 

 

Coaster: Coasters have only one function, they are there to prevent stains and spills from happening. People know they should use them but don’t and then get pissed when they are reminded as if it was the coasters fault that they have no manners. And no matter how well or how bad the coaster does it’s job it’s thrown away after without thanks or a second thought… Anders tries very hard not to identify with the little pieces of cardboard.

 

Worn out: “Okay that was the last kid we can start with the…” Mike doesn’t get further he has to smile at the sight of Anders and Ty…or rather Han Solo and Ben Kenobi asleep in a heap on the couch. 

 

Worn in: “Think of them as worn in.” Val tries as she pushes Axl’s cloths towards Anders. 

 

Shoelace: “Mighty Odin brought down by a shoelace.” Anders sniggers and Axl gives him the finger from where he’s stretched along the ground. 

 

Gym membership: “I’m not having you die because you couldn’t outrun some fat arsed god hunter.” Ty says and shoves the gym membership card into Anders hand. 

 

Dear John letter: Olaf is the only one of them who’s ever gotten a ‘dear John’ letter, Mike pined for Val and then married her, Anders never had anything last long enough to be called a relationship, Ty’s girlfriends turned into friends who were girls and Axl… Well…enough said.

 

Broomstick: “I’m hitching a ride?” Stacey says and get’s into Anders car without asking. “Why, did you crash your broomstick?” 

 

Sleepy: Normally he would not do this, normally he would either get up or kick the intruder of the couch. But when Axl turns those sleepy eyes on him he knows he’s lost and with a sigh he moves back to make room for his brother.

 

Silver surfer: It’s Halloween and Olaf insists on going as the Silver Surfer again, Anders only agrees to help with the paint when Olaf promises to wear a silver thong at the very least and not just paint like he did the last time. 

 

Tired: Mike get’s snappy, Anders get’s quiet, Axl get clingy and Ty just goes to bed. 

 

Wall: He leans against the wall tilting his head back, eyes closed against the glare of the sun that beats down and slowly exhales the smoke from his lungs. Axl looks at him and wishes he was half as cool as his brother.

 

Smoke turner: “So what do you think he’ll bring back?” Ty says grinning when Olaf sends Axl back towards the cabin to get a smoke turner, it’s a family tradition by now.  
“Well, Mike took nearly an hour looking for the thing before he gave up, Anders refused to even go on the grounds that if the smoke bothered me I should simply move or go get it myself and you brought back a fan and about a mile of extension cord.” Olaf said. “This being Axl, I’m betting he’ll keep searching until he get’s hungry or one of us takes pity on him.” 

 

Cherry: He’s never gotten how ‘cherry’ had come to be a euphemism for sexual innocence. At least not until he’d seen the was Anders ate them, then he suddenly understood.

 

Road Trip: “Road trips are for idiotic American movies about brainless teenage girls and guys thinking they are James Dean.” Mike bites out. Axl flips his short hair and asks Ty if he would still love him if he were fat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Sugar is partly based on real event's, as a sugar factory did burn down here at the end of February. and yes the numbers are correct. 38.000 tons of sugar.  
> Smoke Turner: If you’ve ever been a scout you’ll know there is no such thing as a smoke turner, but that some ‘funny’ individual will still send gullible/naive/trusting kids to fetch it every once in a while, it’s almost a sort of initiation. And yes I too was send for it, and came back with a large ass fan much to the amusement of our scout leader. 
> 
> Apparently the term ‘Dear John Letter’ have become so outdated people don’t know it anymore...I feel old now. But It means a letter or note where you break up with someone.
> 
>  
> 
> As always hope you enjoyed!  
> Cheers Aramir


	20. One Surprise After Another

Pitch black: Ty is sick, his powers acting up and like some kind of black hole he’s swallowing all light in the bedchamber. The room is pitch black and icy cold. When Ty tells Anders he should get out Anders just tells him to shut up and that he’s hiding from work, then he snuggles closer until Ty isn’t sure which of them is being indulged but Ty isn’t about to let go either.

 

Microwave alarm: Axl can sleep through storms, earthquakes, domestic ‘discussions’, general daily activity and his alarm clock ringing. But the sound of the microwave going ‘I’m done!’ and he pops up wide awake. 

 

Best friend: Ty is the best friend a girl can have its’ true. But somehow even if they both deny it, Anders becomes her best friend instead and she …she figures out that maybe she have been his all along.

 

Grammar: Axl’s English teacher keeps ‘bulling’ Axl by consistently pointing out and marking down every mistake he makes. Axl is devastated but don’t know what to do, Anders finds out and ask him to leave it to him since Axl’s English teacher is substituting in Anders class for a month…. Axl don’t know what Anders did but his teacher is suddenly a Much nicer person, who helps her student with their grammar instead of just poking fun at them. 

 

Arrow: Axl doesn’t care what the others say, he’s still certain that he could have caught the second arrow if Ty hadn’t distracted him.

 

Converse shoes: “So going for The Doctor look are we?” “What?” “I think you mean who.” “Who?” “Exactly.” “No Anders I’m serious who?!?”

 

Cave in: The roar dies down and coughs and moaning can be heard in the darkness. “Is everyone Okay? Axl?” “*cough* Here.” “Ty?” “Yeah, fuck man.” “You alright?” “Think so just got the wind knocked out of me.” “That’s good. Anders?” …. “Anders?” “Anders?!” *groan* “Who was the fucker that said they wished something exciting would happen?”

 

Rabies: Ty have become so accustomed to his brothers at times snow white like ways that he doesn’t even blink when the big dog comes galloping towards them. Not until Anders gives this little squeak that he would totally give him hell for at any other time, but as his brother forcefully shoves him into the shop they are just passing and slams the door behind them engaging the ground lock and not a second too soon it seems for the dog thunders into the, luckily, reinforced glass and barks like mad.

 

Unicorn: “Okay so the part of the myth of these things only liking virgins….” Mike trails off. “Is most definitely NOT true.” Ty agrees and they both laps back into stunned silence as they watch the big white equine roll its eyes in pleasure as Anders scratches it right below its horn.

 

Thin ice: “It says ‘Thin Ice’?” Axl says looking worried. Ty smiles. “Yeah and you should never do this really, but I can assure you that the ice will be plenty thick for us tonight.” Ty says somewhat bitterly then he seems to sober and smiles as Axl. “Come on.” He says and grabs his little brothers hand.

 

Sea Urchin Shell: “Axl don’t!” Anders yells and moves so fast Axl could swear he’d used that teleporter thing from tv. “How many times do I have to tell you, you don’t just grab stuff from the sea it could be dangerous.” Axl’s little lip wobble. “But I wanted one just like yours.” Axl says and points to where their blankets are and the perfectly preserved Sea Urchin Shell that Anders had found earlier. “If you promise, promise you hear me, to never just grab something like this again then you can have it.” 

 

Fever: The thing about Anders is that unlike most men he doesn’t do the whole: I’m dying.’ Bit when he has a cold or something. Quite the opposite in fact, he’ll try to draw as little attention to himself as possible, so when he’s working away diligently for the third day in a row Dawn makes a doctor’s appointment.

 

Fever (2): His body feels like a war thorn country, stripped of its natural recourses and laid bare for the ravaging of elements and the fires still burning in the rubble of former city’s. He’d get out if he could but he’s caught where he is, burning and freezing in turn. 

 

Lump: She notices the lump one Monday morning, but says nothing. One Tuesday she’s late getting back from lunch. One Wednesday afternoon she gets her answer. One Thursday night she breaks down and ‘confesses’ everything. Friday there is a meeting but Anders doesn’t show..he’s on the way to the airport to catch a plane to Norway.

 

Redirected: Dawn watches as Anders gently and subtly redirect the clients fury at him into fury at the world and goes from wanting to strangle Anders to almost hugging him in sheer gratitude that Anders works for them. 

 

Smite: Mike rushes towards the source of the scream and quickly realizing the situation he does his best to hide his smile and throws out the eight legged intruder. Michele gives him a very look. “Tell anyone about this and I will smite you in your sleep.”

 

Hypothermia: Ty looks at his brother and whimpers, he’s supposed to be golden and warm not pale and frozen… and there is nothing Ty can do about it.

 

Safety pins: “Ouch... ouch ... OUCH! God damn it!! Why do they call them safety pins? I’ve never had so many pricks in my life?!? ….Anders why are you laughing?”

 

Giraffe: “Horse?” Four year old Axl says unsure and points to the animal in front of him. “Don’t ever change Axl.” Anders says grinningly and once again explains how Axl have managed to mix up a few facts. 

 

Cluedo: Anders looks at the mess that was formally known as his apartment and glare at Axl and Zeb. “The cleaning supplies, my living room, you two, right now.” He say’s and points to the closet. 

 

*Surprise Word* 

 

Ty, Mike and Axl stops short when they open the outer door. The sounds coming from Jpr’s rooms are suspiciously intimate, moans and groans of pleasure and just a hint of pain. Ty knows what Dawn sounds like in the throes of passion and this is it. “He wouldn’t…” Axl says. But they all look at Ty who is caught between the absolute faith he has in Dawn and the tiny dark spot where his jealousy and dark nature can’t help but mistrust Anders. 

It’s the last that wins out now and he rapidly descends upon the door to the office in it self, yanking it open just in time to catch Anders with his hands upon Dawn.

Upon Dawn’s neck, which he gives one last hard squeeze and then he shifts his grip and gives her a ‘crack’ and she sighs in pleasure.

“Better?” Anders asks as Dawn breaths deeply with pleasure.

“Much, thank god for your freaky hands Anders my neck was killing me.” - Stiff Neck.


	21. One Odd Selection

Breakfast: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and the only meal that will always be the same no matter what you eat or when you eat it. Since Breakfast literally means ‘to break fast’ or to begin eating again. So yes Dawn I believe in the importance of breakfast, why do you ask?” 

 

Gnome: “Me? Have you lost your mind? I hate gardening or any form of manual labour for that matter, I like being clean and I prefer my food cooked and on a plate not raw or straight of the bone. And I like fresh air and the light to cramped dark spaces. In fact you’ll find I’m the least Gnome like of all my family.”

 

Focus: “ders?...An...rs? ...Anders! Focus. How many fingers am I holding up?” Johan asks as he finally get’s the kids eyes to point the same way. “b...blue?” The kid tries sounding hopeful that this might indeed be the correct answer. “Yeah you’re out for the game kid.” Johan says and only just manages to turn the kid on his side so he doesn’t choke on his own vomit. He has to give the kid credit though, he was told to stand firm in the defence and he did.

 

Cowboy boots: Axl wants those boots like nobody’s business, but they aren’t practical so he’ll not get them from Mike or Val and Ty hasn’t got the money. So Axl’s only hope is that Anders will come through for him and know just what he want the most even if he’s not allowed near the family. 

 

Awkward: As if riding an elevator with Colin Gunderson isn’t awkward enough, the thing has to break down with lurch so now they are stuck in the darkness and Anders have managed to land in Colin’s lap. He’s telling Colin to either help him up or to move his mobile when Colin’s mobile rings somewhere to the left of them, which means.... oh yeah awkward.

 

Spare battery: Mike is the type of person who has a spare battery for everything in his life that could possibly need a battery. Axl is the type of person that relies on this fact to help him through all of his own flat battery situations. 

 

Mind: He get’s hell for it all the time, but Anders will always speak his mind, and people can just fucking deal.

 

Left: He used to worry about what would happen if mum and dad got divorced, because dad would take Ty to spite mum and mum would take Mike to spite dad, or they would take the one they wanted and that would leave Anders all alone. Then Axl was born and Anders didn’t worry so much anymore, because now there would be someone left to him too.

 

Invisible ink: It’s the oldest trick in the book, using lemon juice to write hidden messages and yet somehow Mike never catches on to the fact that Anders and Axl was never really out of touch with each other. 

 

Mini fridge: He buys the thing not because it’s vintage or because it’s a cool logo or even because he needs a mini fridge, he doesn’t. No he buys it because it doesn’t work and it will be a challenging and expensive fix. Something to ‘break the ice’ for Ty’s business. But no one needs to know that beside him. 

 

Last: Finishing last in a race or throwing competition is fine, he couldn’t care less about being last there. But being the last kid to be picked for games every time.... 

 

Peanut: ‘PB&J again.’ This is the fifth time it’s happened in just two weeks and Anders have given up even mentioning it and simply hands Axl his sandwiches in exchange for Axl’s fruit of the day. If nothing else it makes Axl happy and Anders won’t have to try and remind Val of his allergy again. 

 

Wizard: Axl had meant for it to be both a joke and an insult, but Anders just laughs and put’s on the Slytherin coloured tie with a knowing smile. 

 

Sunshine: Ty used to love sunshine, then he became Hod and now he just feels like the rays are laughing at him and poking fun at his cold skin. 

 

Concert: Olaf learns quickly that the way to ensure a good concert experience is to bring Anders and get him pleasantly stoned. Then the god of poetry and music will take over and the concert no matter how dismal up until then will turn epic.

 

Flower: It’s a dainty little thing, slim spring green stem, delicate white and pink petals, it’s fragrance a sweet tickle of a long lost golden memory of summer and laughter. He walks past it every day yet never picks it.

 

Bagpipe: “Do you think you can smoke on a bagpipe?” Zeb asks when he and Axl are more than partially baked. “Fuck if I know…let’s go ask Olaf.” The answer as it turns out, is ‘yes, but it’s not recommended’.

 

Trumpet: Val and Mike were both very firm in their belief that they should all support the school team spirit in some way, and since Anders didn’t do sports he was ‘volunteered’ for the band. Anders not being able to get his way and not join picked the trumpet and three weeks later, a whole week longer than he’d planned he’ll give Mike that credit, he was exempted from having to participate in future sports events. 

 

Taxi: The darkness of the back seat, flickers of traffic lights and neon signs allowing the driver glimpses of sensually moving bodies just the right side of indecent, murmurs and sighs. It’s amazing just how isolated from the rest of the world the back seat of a Taxi can feel. 

 

Giggle: To say that the Johnsons had been more than dubious when Anders had started seeing Colin Gunderson was an understatement of epic proportions. Yet all it takes for Ty to forgive the man who had nearly killed him more than once is the fact that he can make Anders giggle as free and heartfelt as a child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit they are very ...scattered or you might even say: odd' this time around...but then I'm ill, my brain might have been partially outside my body when I did these. *G*
> 
> Hope you still find some enjoyment in them anyway.  
> Cheers! Aramir


	22. One of these days....

Noodles: Anders can’t stand the taste of cheap noodles, it’s not that he’s a food snob, far from it, it’s just that he lived on those things when he was putting himself through college and until his firm was up and running.

 

Frog: Mum yells and screams as she clamber up the chair and onto the table knocking over both the chair and most of the dinner that had just been put on the table and order him out the house with that ..’thing’. Axl doesn’t understand how such a small frog can cause so much commotion. But he dutifully goes outside and sets him free. Then as he walks back in he pads his other bulking pocket. He might have lost little Melvin but he still has big Sam.

 

Scarf: It’s a nice scarf. Greyish blue, not too bland or too flashy. Doesn’t itch. Isn’t to oppressively warm to wear casually nor too flimsy to keep you warm in the cold. But what Anders loves the most about it is the fact that it was a gift, and not just any gift but a ‘simply because’ gift, and he’s never had those before.

 

Radiator: No matter how high he turns it of how close he sits it can’t unfreeze the ice his brothers words have put into his heart.

 

Peaceful: Like little sunsets and sunups come to life they glide through the water, golden-orange-red, the shimmer and reflect as they go about their business in their little watery world of harmony. Anders sighs and let their peaceful world become his if only for a minute or two. 

 

Words: Words is everything to Anders. His trademark, his shield, his weapons, his bread and butter and everything in between. And yet despite that he still doesn’t know how to tell people just how much they mean to him.

 

Flu: Most of the time Ty is not exactly happy to be Hod. Quite the opposite in fact. But come flu season...

 

Stir: ‘Stir the sauce or it will burn’ they say, ‘cooking is like life’ they say, so Anders takes care to stir up his family every once in a while, just so they don’t burn.

 

Pot: “Dare I ask?” Mike asks as he enters the cabin they are staying the week in to find Anders lounging on the couch with his tablet looking smug, Ty sitting at the dining table looking amused and Olaf and Axl staring at a pot on the stove.   
“Anders told them ‘a watched pot never boils.’” Ty answers because Axl is staring at the pot like it’s a potentially dangerous animal he’ll have to bring down and Olaf looks like he’s about to reach Nirvana at any minute now.   
Mike is about to say something but Anders shoots him a look that clearly begs him not to spoil his fun. And really as fun in this family goes it’s pretty harmless, so Mike shuts up about the fact that the gas isn’t even connected yet so no matter how hard they star the pot will never boil.

 

wi-fi: Michele calls Anders a ‘city wimp’ but she is the one who is all but ready to call for air rescue the second her phone loses it’s wi-fi connection. 

 

Nintendo: “Is it just me or is every major Nintendo game about saving princesses?” Axl asked.

 

Briefcase: Colin may or may not have a little too much fun with the knowledge that Anders is freaked out by unexplained briefcases popping up all over. 

 

Lego: When mum or dad tears his creations down or throw them against the wall he can pick up the pieces and make it just the way it was again. ‘The world’ Anders thinks ‘should be made out of Lego.’

 

Lego (2): “Dude your playing with a children’s toy?” Axl laughs and expects Anders to look embarrassed to be caught like this. “This,” Anders says his voice deeply serious and not at all embarrassed, “this is not a toy, this is Lego.” 

 

Nap: Anders is running on fumes and he knows it, but he can’t stop now he’s ‘this’ close to having it down perfect. He just need to get this last bit.... His eyes closes on their own volition the second Dawn places her hand on the back of his neck and he’s moved to the couch and laid down before he knows it. “Just a short one then.” He vaguely protests through a yawn and is out before Dawn could ever answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my absence I can only blame life and ask you to remain patient.
> 
> revievs/comments are love and nectar to me.
> 
> Cheers Aramir


	23. One for all...

Underwear: Anders is very fond of underwear, oh not like that! ...well okay like that too, but mostly he’s fond of it because it’s the one article of clothing he’s never had to share with anyone or had to inherit from anyone.

 

Blind: Dawn calls him shallow because he only sleeps with pretty girls. Anders knows it won’t help to tell her that he’d still sleep with them if he was blind.

 

Smug: Axl looks smug as he wins yet another game of: Whoever gets home the fastest get’s the biggest piece of leftover cake from last night. The fact that his school day stops two hours before even Ty’s doesn’t enter his mind.

 

Abandonment: Twelve year old Anders has never been worried about being abandoned. Abandonment takes a certain level of commitment and awareness so he knows he’ll only ever rate ‘forgotten’.

 

Irresponsible: For all that everyone calls him irresponsible Anders is actually the only one of them that always listens to stuff like weather warnings, reads labels for contents and analyze the face of people for warning signs. Yes he’ll still walk when he should drive, he’ll shrug and down two pills instead of one and he’ll still fail to keep his mouth shut when someone get’s on his nerves. But Anders knows and he’ll take full responsibility for his actions... even if he’ll still grumble about it.

 

Gravy: Looking at the amount of gravy on Axl and Olaf’s plates Ty is tempted to go and get them a pair of soup dishes instead of the regular ones.

 

Plunge: Ty is the athletic one but he’s a really weak swimmer, so Anders never even gives it a second thought before taking the plunge when the cry of ‘SHARK!’ rings out.

 

Fridge: These days it seems a ‘visit’ from his family almost always leaves his heart and fridge in the same state: Empty and cold. 

 

Fish hook: “What happened to your arm?” Ingrid asks seeing the bandage on Anders lower arm.  
“I was speared ruthlessly by a weapon of mass murder.” Anders says and goes to get another beer.  
Ingrid looks confused so Ty steps in and explains: “Axl cast his line to close to Anders and caught him with his fish hook.” 

 

Truth: Everyone seems to think Anders has a very...loos approach to the truth when in fact it’s just the opposite, he’s very serious about the truth, which is exactly why he lies so often. 

 

Lies: Anders will freely admit that not everything he says is the honest truth, but that doesn’t necessarily make it lies either. After all truth like beauty is an individual thing.

 

Magic marker: “I don’t get it.” Axl says turning the pen around and once more putting it to paper. “Where’s the magic?”

 

Corner: “It’s not fair!” Axl shouts as he’s told to go to stand in the corner for twenty minutes and that he’ll miss out on dessert because he’d broken a window playing ball indoors as he’d been told not to.

 

Corner part 2: Anders thinks about how he’d been sent to the basement at dinner time to await punishment for making dad spill his beer when Mike had thrown him into him, how he’d sat there all night waiting in the dark and how he’d been fetched in the morning gotten five hard smacks on his bottom and been sent to school without breakfast. ‘No little brother life isn’t fair. Be glad it isn’t.’

 

TV: On TV people would get drunk hit someone and regret it. TV lied. Dad hit them drunk or not and he never regretted it. 

 

River: ‘No time, I’m going to be part of the ocean!’ The river seems to shout happily as it rushes by on it’s way. He doesn’t have the heart to tell it that a lake is it’s final destination.

 

Insanity: ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.’ Anders knows this, and yet he keeps answering when his family calls, hoping that this time it will be because they want to see him, and not because they want to use him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll still happily take Words and challenges to get/keep my creative juices going.
> 
> Comments are love!
> 
> Cheers Aramir


	24. On A Day Like Today

Moon: Ty watches from across the room as Dawn laughs at something Anders says and Ty sees her as the moon. Beautiful and pale she travels the dark night that is his life, throwing light into darkness that can never hope to touch her but can’t stop reaching for her anyway. 

 

Monster: Monsters in movies are ugly things, with scales, fur, claws, fangs and red or yellow eyes. Monsters in real life though… they are much trickier and much scarier as they can look just like your family and fuck you up in a way movie monsters could never hope to achieve.

 

Candy shop: “I want this one, and this one..uh uh! And this one!” Axl chirps as he dashes around the candy shop. Ty finds a few things he likes and asks:”May I have these?” Anders, on the rare occasion he comes, heads straight for the item he wants and never making any demands or requests pays for it himself.

 

Draught: Mum says it was the terrible draught that was the final straw that made dad return to the sea, but by the look se sends him Anders knows that mum suspects the truth.

 

Alarm clock: The reason it’s called an alarm clock, Anders thinks as Dawn scolds him with her eyes while Mike does it verbally on the phone Axl does it by text and Ty by e-mail, the reason it’s called an alarm clock is because it’s not so much waking you as warning you that a new day is about to pounce on you.

 

Human: Bragi might be the one that invites women into their bed but Anders never fells as human as when he’s connected in that most primal of ways, salty sweat in the air and bursting on his tongue.

 

Herbie: Anders puts the movie on, turns the volume up and sits on the floor with Axl in his lap whispering along with the movie and telling him how someday Herbie might stop by here and take them away from all of this. 

 

Ridiculous(Herbie2): When Axl has a truly crappy day he likes to put on the old Herbie movies, they make him forget trouble for a while, and as ridiculous as it might sound they make him feel safe though if asked he can’t remember why.

 

Doll house: When he’s five Ty wants a doll house, dad slaps him calls him a sissy and he gets a plastic truck instead. When Ty is ten he still wants the doll house but he knows not to say and just smiles when he gets a secondhand bike. When he’s fifteen he drunkenly confesses to Anders that he still wants that doll house even if he’s never really known why he wants it. Instead of the ridicule he’s expecting Anders, who’s acing his psychology class, looks sadly thoughtful then declares that Ty wants the doll house because it would be a substitute for his own broken home, then he downs his borrowed beer and get’s them both new ones. 

 

Ostrich:”No, no, you need to grow the fuck up Axl and stop this ostrich routine you have going. I’m through being your convenient pile of sand in which you stick your head and then all your troubles disappear. For Fucks sake Axl, you’re supposed to be Odin so fucking man up and deal with your problems yourself!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few ones this time, to post 'something' and let you know I'm not dead, and I haven't given up on neither Living On The Edge nor on Fool On The Hill. I've simply been either swamped with life or had no energy to do anything. But I AM working on it...if slowly, so don't despair.  
> Cheers and hugs for anyone still out there.  
> Aramir

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Scavenger Hunt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1236406) by [Aramirandme81](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/pseuds/Aramirandme81)




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